Data_Sheet_1_What Can Metaphor Tell Us About Experiences of Pregnancy Loss and How Are These Experiences Reflected in Midwife Practice?.pdf

With the recent launch of the National Bereavement Care Pathways in the UK (http://www.nbcpathway.org.uk/pathways/) that are designed to help professionals to support families in their bereavement after any pregnancy loss, there has been an increased interest in aligning the care provided to the needs that are expressed by the bereaved parents. In order to do this we need in-depth knowledge of these experiences. In this paper, we report findings from a study, conducted in England, that explored the ways in which those who have experienced pregnancy loss talk about their experiences at different stages in the diagnosis and experience of pregnancy loss. We focus both on what they say and the language they use to describe their experiences, in order to gain insights that may make it easier for those who support them through the process to do so in an effective manner. We focus in particular on the metaphors they use to describe their experiences. Metaphors are often used by people when describing intensely painful, personal experiences that would otherwise be inexpressible. Exploring the metaphors used by the bereaved allows us to gain deeper insights into what they are going through and understanding these metaphors may allow us to support them more effectively. We also examined the accounts of midwives and other NHS maternity bereavement care practitioners in order to gain insights into their perspectives on the issues identified through our analysis of the metaphors used by the bereaved, and to identify areas of good practice which correspond to the experiences of the bereaved. We were interested in their own practice but also in the environment in which they work and the constraints that this sometimes brings.

随着英国国家丧亲护理路径（National Bereavement Care Pathways，http://www.nbcpathway.org.uk/pathways/）近日正式发布——该路径旨在协助专业人员为经历各类妊娠丢失后陷入丧亲之痛的家庭提供支持——学界与实务界对使护理服务契合丧亲父母所表达的需求的关注度日益提升。为达成这一目标，我们需深入了解这类群体的相关经历。本文报告了一项于英格兰开展的研究成果：该研究探究了曾经历妊娠丢失者，在妊娠丢失的诊断及相关经历的不同阶段，讲述自身经历的方式。本研究同时关注受访者的表述内容与描述经历时所用的语言，以期获得可帮助丧亲支持人员更高效地开展帮扶工作的洞见。我们尤其关注受访者描述经历时所用的隐喻。人们在描述极度痛苦的私人经历时，常借助隐喻来表达那些难以直接言说的感受。探究丧亲者所用的隐喻，可帮助我们更深入地理解他们正经历的处境；而理解这些隐喻，则能让我们更有效地为其提供支持。我们还分析了助产士及其他英国国民保健署（National Health Service, NHS）产科丧亲护理从业者的访谈记录，以期了解他们针对我们通过分析丧亲者所用隐喻所识别出的问题所持的观点，并识别出与丧亲者经历相契合的优质实践范畴。我们不仅关注他们的临床实践情况，同时也关注其工作环境，以及该环境有时会带来的种种限制。