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Decision influences and aftermath: parents, stillbirth and autopsy

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posted on 2021-01-20, 00:04 authored by Dell HoreyDell Horey, V Flenady, L Conway, E McLeod, TY Khong
Background Stillbirth, among the most distressing experiences an adult may face, is also a time when parents must decide whether an autopsy or other post-mortem examinations will be performed on their infant. Autopsies can reveal information that might help explain stillbirth, yet little is known about how people make this difficult decision. Objectives This study examines the influences on decisions about autopsy after stillbirth among Australian parents. Design The study involved secondary analysis of transcripts of three focus groups using qualitative content analysis. Participants and setting Seventeen parents of 14 stillborn babies participated in consultations around the revision of a perinatal mortality audit guideline. Results Parents shared the decision making. Four decision drivers were identified: parents' preparedness or readiness to make decisions; parental responsibility; concern for possible consequences of an autopsy and the role of health professionals. Each decision driver involved reasons both for and against autopsy. Two decision aftermath were also present: some parents who agreed to an autopsy were dissatisfied with the way the autopsy results were given to them and some parents who did not have an autopsy for their infant expressed some form of regret or uncertainty about the choice they made. Conclusions To make decisions about autopsy after stillbirth, parents need factual information about autopsy procedures, recognition that there might be fear of blame, an environment of trust, and health services and professionals prepared and skilled for difficult conversations. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

History

Publication Date

2014-01-01

Journal

Health Expectations

Volume

17

Issue

4

Pagination

11p. (p. 534-544)

Publisher

Wiley Open Access

ISSN

1369-7625

Rights Statement

The Author reserves all moral rights over the deposited text and must be credited if any re-use occurs. Documents deposited in OPAL are the Open Access versions of outputs published elsewhere. Changes resulting from the publishing process may therefore not be reflected in this document. The final published version may be obtained via the publisher’s DOI. Please note that additional copyright and access restrictions may apply to the published version.

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