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Paper on experiences of fatal fetal anomaly led by Dr Peter Jackson wins HSE Open Access Research Award
A paper led by Dr Peter Jackson has won the Health Service Executive (HSE) Open Access Research Award in the Acute Care and Hospitals category. Titled ‘Fatal fetal anomaly: Experiences of women and their partners’, this paper explores the care experiences of parents whose pregnancy was diagnosed with a fatal fetal anomaly following the legalisation of termination of pregnancy in 2019 in Ireland. Congratulations to Peter, and his supervisors – Dr Stacey Power-Walsh, Dr Rebecca Dennehy and Professor Keelin O'Donoghue – on this award!
Conducted as part of his Master of Public Health at UCC, Dr Jackson interviewed ten parents, six women and four of their male partners, including those that terminated and continued the pregnancy. Parents shared the different approaches and level of attachment to their baby that supported their coping. Regardless of the level of attachment, many parents benefited from the acts of remembrance. Parents expressed how they no longer felt they belonged in the ‘pregnancy world’ and described a need for healthcare professionals to recognise their loss and create a safe and supportive environment in which they could share their grief. Despite this, parents accounts underlined variations and inconsistencies in care and service provision. This important study highlights parents’ need for consistent, well communicated, and comprehensive care, which encourages an individualised perinatal palliative care approach to meet parental needs.
This work also won oral presentation awards at a range of conferences in 2022, highlighting its resonance and impact: Junior Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society Conference, UCC College of Medicine and Health ‘From Molecules to People’ Conference, and the 5th All Island Children’s Palliative Care Conference.
Two other papers from PLRG researchers were also shortlisted at this year’s awards; congratulations to Dr Änne Helps and Dr Tamara Escañuela Sánchez:
- Bereaved parents involvement in maternity hospital perinatal death review processes: ‘Nobody even thought to ask us anything’: Dr Änne Helps, Professor Keelin O'Donoghue, Orla O'Connell, Dr Sara Leitao [Project: Perinatal death reviews, inquiries and audits]
- Exploring first-time mothers' experiences and knowledge about behavioural risk factors for stillbirth: Dr Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar, Dr Sarah Meaney, Professor Keelin O'Donoghue [Project: RELEVANT]
The HSE Open Access Awards were established in 2014 to encourage and reward open access publishing in the Irish health sector. The winners of this year’s awards were announced by Dr Philip Crowley, National Director for Strategy and Research within the HSE, on Friday 15 December 2023 at a ceremony held in Dr Steevens’ Hospital Library in Dublin and online.
Many thanks to all involved in organising and judging this year’s awards, and most especially the participants who took part in the research.