Women's experience of care in an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Women's experience of care in an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit, following a first trimester miscarriage
IRAS ID
156545
Contact name
Lynn Furber
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Although miscarriage, typically defined as the spontaneous loss of pregnancy (before 24 weeks) is common, women are often unprepared for the event. As a consequence, this can be an extremely distressing experience and women can feel that they have little or no control over what is happening to them. From a medical perspective the physical management is relatively simple. The woman may be presented with the option to continue with the miscarriage naturally, without intervention or she may be offered a surgical procedure to remove the pregnancy tissue. Medication may also be used to help manage the miscarriage. One of the common complaints made by women experiencing a miscarriage is the lack of emotional care and support they receive by health care professionals. It can however, be difficult for doctors to share information with women about their miscarriage, particularly when the news is perceived to be bad and emotional pain is associated with the pregnancy loss. If information is delivered insensitively or in a way that the woman finds difficult to understand then the relationship between them might be compromised which may reduce the woman’s satisfaction with their consultation experience. In addition, emotional distress may stop the woman from expressing their views clearly or from being able to process the information fully and make an informed decision about how their miscarriage is managed therapeutically. The proposed study will explore how women perceive the provision of care and emotional support they receive in an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU), following a first trimester miscarriage. The overall aim of the study is to examine how women are helped to understand, reconcile and make sense of their loss and make informed decisions. Interviews will be conducted with up to ten women who have experienced their first miscarriage. The researchers have met with health care professionals working within an early pregnancy assessment unit within the East Midlands who welcome the opportunity to learn how women experience their provision of care. The key findings of this study will be used to inform a larger study aimed at improving the effectiveness of care for women experiencing a first trimester miscarriage.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1187
Date of REC Opinion
30 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion