Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C E Stead.
Carolyn Stead's moving account of the sudden death of her baby son Dominic was published in the January 1998 issue. It is reprinted on pages 170-174, before this update, in which Carolyn outlines her subsequent experiences and emotions.
My own experience of sudden death will remain with me lifelong. I hope that whenever I am able to face such a situation again I can give the same expert nursing care with such empathy, understanding and compassion that we were shown. Because it does matter how we care for the newly bereaved relative, and there is ample evidence that the quality of the initial care provided has a major impact on the relative's bereavement (RCN British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine 1995).
Women experiencing a miscarriage are a regular daily occurrence in some Accident and Emergency (A & E) departments. Each woman's miscarriage experience is unique and individual and women deserve an individual response to their problems, one that is built on trust and communication. Therefore, emergency nurses must appreciate that each woman is an individual and must explore the history she brings to the current event, the meaning she attributes to the miscarriage, and its impact on her life. These women need to be cared for in an environment that not only allows privacy but also respect and dignity. Nurses need to be able to communicate effectively, to give good physical care and be willing to take on the emotional significance that miscarriage can have. This paper aims to explore the needs of the woman experiencing a miscarriage. It attempts to look at what emergency nurses can do to meet those needs, and what can be done to make this difficult time as tolerable as possible for the woman or couple, when they present to the A & E department.