Care Experiences of Women Who Used Opioids and Experienced Fetal or Infant Loss.
Lisa F Scott, Carol Shieh, Rachel A Umoren and 1 others
PMID 28950109WHAT IT FOUND
Eleven women who used opioids and lost an infant described feeling ignored by providers and overwhelmed by medical complications.
They struggled with grief and blame, seeking clear explanations for the death and long-term bereavement support to process their loss.
Key findings
01Participants expressed frustration that care providers did not listen to their concerns during pregnancy or the infant's illness, and that they were not adequately informed about complications.
02Women described being overwhelmed by attempts to process medical complications and outcomes, with some having difficulty identifying physical signs of complications such as preterm labor.
03Grief was a profound struggle, with participants seeking validation for their feelings while often facing pressure from family and friends to move on, and experiencing guilt or blame.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used secondary data from FIMR interviews, which were designed for mortality review rather than exploring care experiences, limiting the depth of available information. Interviews were not audio or video recorded, so data relies on written notes that may not have captured all nuances. The sample was small (11 women) and drawn from a single local program in the Midwest, limiting generalizability. The time between loss and interview varied (3.5 to 10 months), which may have influenced how grief and experiences were reported. The study could not explore specific care experiences related to methadone or other drug treatments due to the nature of the secondary data.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the identified themes as evidence of specific care failures or as a validated framework for intervention. This is a small qualitative study of eleven women's subjective recollections; it describes their experiences but does not prove that provider behavior caused the deaths or that specific communication techniques will improve outcomes.