Metaphors that shape parents’ perceptions of effective communication with healthcare practitioners following child death: a qualitative UK study

Sarah Turner, Jeannette Littlemore, Julie Taylor, Eloise Parr, A E Topping

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)
    127 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Objectives: To offer an interpretation of bereaved parents’ evaluations of communication with healthcare practitioners (HCPs) surrounding the death of a child. Design: Interpretative qualitative study employing thematic and linguistic analyses of metaphor embedded in interview data. Setting: England and Scotland. Participants: 24 bereaved parents (21 women, 3 men). Methods: Participants were recruited through the True Colours Trust website and mailing list, similar UK charities and word of mouth. Following interviews in person or via video-conferencing platforms (Skype/Zoom), transcripts first underwent thematic and subsequently linguistic analyses supported by NVivo. A focused analysis of metaphors used by the parents was undertaken to allow in-depth interpretation of how they conceptualised their experiences. Results: The findings illuminate the ways parents experienced communication with HCPs surrounding the death of a child. Key findings from this study suggest that good communication with HCPs following the death of a child should acknowledge parental identity (and that of their child as an individual) and offer opportunities for them to enact this; taking account their emotional and physical experiences; and accommodate their altered experiences of time. Conclusions: This study suggests that HCPs when communicating with bereaved parents need to recognise, and seek to comprehend, the ways in which the loss impacts on an individual’s identity as a parent, the ‘physical’ nature of the emotions that can be unleashed and the ways in which the death of a child can alter their metaphorical conceptions of time.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article numbere054991
    Number of pages8
    JournalBMJ Open
    Volume12
    Issue number1
    Early online date25 Jan 2022
    DOIs
    Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 25 Jan 2022

    Bibliographical note

    This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the
    Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which
    permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially,
    and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is
    properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use
    is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

    Funder

    This project was funded by the True Colours Trust.

    Keywords

    • 1506
    • 1725
    • Qualitative research
    • paediatric A&E and ambulatory care
    • paediatric oncology
    • paediatric palliative care

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