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Fifth TEARDROP Workshop held at CUMH
Forty-six people from across the South West, Mid West and Saolta Health Regions completed TEARDROP training at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) on Friday 14 February. This was the fifth TEARDROP workshop held at CUMH and the seventh held nationally, as two workshops have been delivered by the Saolta Group since its roll-out in 2023. To date, around 300 health professionals have completed TEARDROP training across both hospital groups.
TEARDROP (Teaching, Excellent, pArent, peRinatal, Deaths-related, inteRactions, tO, Professionals) is a half-day workshop designed to address the educational needs of health professionals involved in maternity and newborn care in managing perinatal death and pregnancy loss. The most recent workshop was delivered by 14 experienced educators and clinicians across six stations.
| Station | Faculty |
|---|---|
| Clinical management |
|
| Communication and language |
|
| Perinatal pathology |
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| Pregnancy after loss |
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| Registration, reporting and reviews |
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| Fatal fetal anomalies: Termination of pregnancy and perinatal palliative care |
|
Following the completion of all six stations, Professor Keelin O’Donoghue and Anne-Marie Farrell, a researcher at the Pregnancy Loss Research Group (PLRG) and bereaved parent, delivered an impactful talk on stillbirth prevention and what health professionals can do within their own roles to enhance prevention efforts.
Everyone who completed the TEARDROP training received a TEARDROP pin which they are encouraged to wear as bereavement care champions and to highlight the importance of bereavement care and awareness in the maternity services. They also received a copy of the graphic narrative, Why My Baby Died which illustrates what is what is needed to better support and involve parents in perinatal death review processes.
The workshop was accredited for four CPD points by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
Many thanks to all involved in facilitating and organising the TEARDROP workshop at CUMH, including:
- Members of faculty (listed above) and facilitators: Niamh Spillane, Anna Burns, Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Marita Hennessy, Oana Marian, Joshil Selva Jothi, Varsha Shetty and Hannah Whibbs
- Guest speaker: Anne-Marie Farrell
- Mary O’Connor (Director), Áine Blake (Specialist Coordinator Midwifery) and all of the team at the Centre of Midwifery Education, CUMH.
Anne-Marie Farrell and Professor Keelin O’Donoghue discussing stillbirth prevention during the closing session
Pictured L-R, TEARDROP Facilitators: Dr Joshil Selva Jothi, Varsha Shetty, Dr Oana Marian, Dr Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Anna Burns, Marita Hennessy PhD, Niamh Spillane
More information
TEARDROP is based on the National Standards for Bereavement Care Following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death and is one of several evidence-based education programmes and workshops developed and delivered by the PLRG. It continues to be well received and evaluated as a relevant and important training programme for health professionals. Read more about the impact of TEARDROP in our case study.