Psychosocial Care of Pregnancy Loss in the Emergency Department

INTRODUCTION: Emergency departments in the United States manage nearly 900,000 visits annually for early pregnancy loss. Patients frequently report limited emotional support, inadequate provider knowledge, and insufficient communication. METHODS: A pre- and postintervention design was used to assess ED staff knowledge, attitudes, and supportive care skills related to reproductive grief. Demographic data were collected. Paired t tests evaluated changes across 7 educational domains. RESULTS: The analytic sample (N = 39) consisted of chaplains (7.7%), nurses (61.6%), patient care assistants (7.7%), radiology technicians (5.1%), social workers (5.1%), and ED technicians (12.8%). Postintervention analyses demonstrated increased mean scores across all domains, including emotional support, patient-centered care, discharge planning, bereavement care, community resources, staff support, and communication (P < .0001). DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that staff education may improve miscarriage care. Additional research is necessary to confirm these results, establish validity, and assess generalizability across settings.