Salamanca, España
Background: Perinatal grief is a deeply distressing emotional and psychological experience that significantly impacts mothers and their families. Despite its prevalence, it remains an underrecognized challenge within healthcare systems, especially in nursing practice. Objective: Review and synthesize the existing scientific literature on nursing interventions aimed at supporting families experiencing perinatal loss, with a focus on identifying evidence-based and humanized care strategies. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases between October 2024 and February 2025. A total of 32 articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, guided by a PICO question framework. The analysis included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies relevant to nursing care in the context of perinatal grief. Results: The review identified a range of effective nursing interventions, including therapeutic memory-making, postpartum lactation management in newborn absence, empathetic communication strategies, and spiritual care according family beliefs. Conclusion: Nurses play a pivotal role in perinatal bereavement care. Comprehensive, coordinated, and evidence-informed interventions not only support the emotional wellbeing of grieving families but also foster the humanization of perinatal healthcare. Standardized protocols and further research are needed to enhance the quality and consistency of nursing responses to perinatal loss.
Background: Perinatal grief is a deeply distressing emotional and psychological experience that significantly impacts mothers and their families. Despite its prevalence, it remains an underrecognized challenge within healthcare systems, especially in nursing practice.
Objective: Review and synthesize the existing scientific literature on nursing interventions aimed at supporting families experiencing perinatal loss, with a focus on identifying evidence-based and humanized care strategies.
Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases between October 2024 and February 2025. A total of 32 articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, guided by a PICO question framework. The analysis included qualitative, quantitative, and mixedmethod studies relevant to nursing care in the context of perinatal grief.
Results: The review identified a range of effective nursing interventions, including therapeutic memory-making, postpartum lactation management in newborn absence, empathetic communication strategies, and spiritual care according family beliefs.
Conclusion: Nurses play a pivotal role in perinatal bereavement care. Comprehensive, coordinated, and evidenceinformed interventions not only support the emotional wellbeing of grieving families but also foster the humanization of perinatal healthcare. Standardized protocols and further research are needed to enhance the quality and consistency of nursing responses to perinatal loss.