Grief in miscarriage patients and satisfaction with care in a London hospital

Abstract

Miscarriage can result in significant psychological distress to women and their partners. However, experience of medical and psychological care may directly affect women's emotional adaptation following miscarriage. This paper reports on women's satisfaction with care received in hospital and the association with levels of grief. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 79 women admitted to a large London teaching hospital between August and December 1996. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 women and questionnaires collected from the remaining 58 women. The Perinatal Grief Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to assess levels of psychological distress. All data were collected 4–6 weeks after their miscarriage. Seventy-two percent of women positively rated their experience of hospital care. Areas that required improvement were the way the bad news was given, the explanations given for why the miscarriage had happened, and the provision of medical and psychological follow-up. Nuances of care (attentiveness, kindliness, sensitivity) were a strong determinant of women's satisfaction. The level of grief amongst patients was high, but little association was found between grief and satisfaction with care. Recommendations for improving the satisfaction with care for these patients are made.