Assisting Women in Perinatal Bereavement: A Scoping Review of Institutional Care Practices and Protocols in Maternity Hospitals

Abstract: Introduction: Perinatal loss is a devastating event that affects mothers, families, and health professionals deeply. Providing care for women experiencing bereavement after perinatal death in maternity hospitals presents complex challenges involving psychological, emotional, and organizational factors. Although the emotional impact of maternal bereavement is well documented, significant gaps remain in the institutional response, including specific care protocols and practices. Many health professionals are not adequately prepared to address the emotional distress of mothers and families, which can lead to substandard, traumatic, or disorganized care. This scenario underscores the necessity of investigating and mapping the care provided to these women in maternity hospitals. It is crucial to investigate and map the care provided to these women in maternity hospitals. Objective: This study aims to map the care strategies and challenges that health professionals face when dealing with the emotional distress of bereaved mothers based on the latest evidence. Method: This is a protocol for a scoping review involving five stages, which will follow the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute: 1) identifying the research question, 2) identifying relevant studies, 3) selecting studies, 4) analyzing data, and 5) grouping, synthesizing, and presenting results. Descriptors from the Health Sciences Descriptors and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) will be used, focusing on terms such as “Neonatal Nursing,” “Obstetric Nursing,” “Perinatal Care,” “Perinatal Death,” and “Psychosocial Care.” Databases that will be consulted include LILACS, SciELO, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and the CAPES Catalog of Theses and Dissertations. The guiding question behind this review is: “How is care provided to women who have ficiente a perinatal death in the ficient of maternity hospitals?” Expected results: The review will identify common practices and institutional protocols for caring for women who experience perinatal loss. Additionally, analyzing the evidence will reveal gaps in care and suggest ways to improve the training of health professionals. The focus will be on more empathetic and ficiente approaches to providing psychological and emotional support to mothers.