Exploring perinatal death with midwifery students’ using a collaborative art project

Objective: To explore the influence of the Amulet artwork and exhibition on midwifery students’ perceptions of caring for parents experiencing perinatal death. Design: A descriptive qualitative design involving face-to-face semi-structured interviews following institutional ethical approval. Setting: A regional Maternity Hospital in Ireland which hosted the National Artwork and Exhibition exploring the hidden world of infant death. Participants: A purposive sample of six consenting post registration midwifery students who had attended the Amulet artwork and exhibition. Findings: Four core themes emerged and these were i) entering the mother's world and hearing her pain; ii) the journey of grief and connecting with the bereaved parent's unique experience; iii) facing the challenge of providing effective perinatal bereavement care; iv) maintaining a journey of compassionate practice Conclusion and implications for practice: Exposure to, and reflection on the Amulet artwork and exhibition increased students’ awareness and insight into the non-linear nature of the grieving process, and to the importance of maintaining a journey of compassionate care for parents experiencing perinatal death. The findings suggest that the use of creative women-centered strategies promote affective learning in relation to perinatal death and so may be of use to educators and maternity care providers.