Pregnancy After Stillbirth: Caring for Canadian Families in Rural Areas

Abstract

Every day across Canada, nearly nine pregnancies end in stillbirth. Many of these families go on to have subsequent pregnancies, but research into how best to care for these parents is lacking. Meanwhile, the literature around effective knowledge translation for rural and remote practitioners is also sparse. Two studies were conducted; the first explored the experiences of Canadian families experiencing a pregnancy after stillbirth. Answers to three open-text questions from sixty-two respondents were analyzed using thematic analysis, and six overall themes were identified, with key messages and opportunities for improvement delineated. The second study was a scoping review that identified best practices for knowledge translation to rural primary health care providers. There was a wide variety of interventions used with no single “best” type. Further research is needed to determine the most effective knowledge translation techniques for the busy rural practitioner managing complex patients in acute and chronic settings.