Parent focus groups
What is this study about?
We are inviting parents to join a group discussion in a focus group format about perinatal death reviews that happen in maternity units and hospitals in Ireland.
We would like to learn about the way people are informed about perinatal death reviews and how best to promote the involvement of parents in the review process. With this study we also hope to learn about better ways of communicating with families about these reviews.
A perinatal death review is a review undertaken when a baby dies unexpectedly, including when a baby is stillborn or dies shortly after being born although not all perinatal deaths undergo review. The review is completed by a team of senior midwives and doctors in the maternity hospital. The aim of a review is to take a detailed look at the care that the mother and her baby received to try and determine what happened, why it happened, and what measures could be introduced to reduce the risk of this happening to someone else in the future.
What is involved?
Participation involves attending a group discussion in a focus group format with other bereaved parents. A focus group is a method of research involving a small group of people (usually six to eight participants) who are guided through a discussion by a moderator.
Each focus group will aim to have between 6 and 8 bereaved parents and will occur in a non-hospital setting (such as a community centre or a room in a public library). Two or three study investigators will be in attendance to moderate each focus group.
The focus group will last for approximately two hours. The moderators will ask questions for the group to discuss. These questions will involve discussing your opinions on ways to improve the communication with parents about the review process and ways to improve parent involvement in perinatal death reviews.
We are asking bereaved parents to join focus groups in different geographical locations around Ireland to hear your views and opinions.
Focus groups will be held in the following locations:
- in Cork city in the second or third week of February pending the availability of participants.
- in Dublin in the last week of February pending availability.
- in the Galway/Sligo region (to be decided) in the first or second week of March pending availability.
Currently, we are seeking participation from parents with the following characteristics:
- Your baby died during or after 2017.
- It has been at least 12-18 months since your baby died.
- If there was a Coroner’s inquiry or inquest for your baby, this process must be complete.
- It is important for us to make sure that you feel ready and emotionally able to talk about your baby’s death in a way that may help other parents in the future.
- You must be over the age of 18 and fluent in English.
Please note:
- You will not receive any payment for participating in the focus groups.
- The focus group session is expected to last for approximately 2 hours.
- The session will include a constructive conversation in a closed and safe environment that will not be in a clinical location or hospital setting.
Ethical approval for this study was granted to us from the Cork Research Ethics Committee (ECM 4 (h) 19/11/2024 & ECM 5 (9) 12/11/2024 & ECM 3 (mm) 10/12/2024).
What do I need to do?
If you are interested in participating, please email Dr Emily O’Connor to register your interest and get more information: emilyoconnor@ucc.ie.