Care and support for families of deceased newborns: descriptive analysis of six years
Abstract
Introduction: Several studies have indicated that the quality of professional support received during and after a neonatal death significantly influences the grieving process and mental health of parents. This article aims to describe the characteristics of neonatal mortality at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, care practices for families, and the variables with which they are associated, as well as maternal depressive symptoms.
Method: A retrospective descriptive observational study was conducted from October 2018 to December 2024, analyzing clinical and sociodemographic variables, internal care records, and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores of mothers the first week after death. Results: Since 2018, there have been 60 neonatal deaths, most of them extremely premature. More than half of the mothers were of foreign origin. 98% of families received at least one care intervention; the most frequent was seeing the baby (96%) and receiving a memory box (96%), and the least frequent was dressing the baby in their clothes (30%). More than 60% were contacted by telephone by clinical psychologists in the first week after death.
Conclusions: Prematurity and maternal foreign origin are the most common characteristics. Recommended care practices for neonatal deaths have been successfully integrated into the service.
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