Program of the NGO "Angel’s Care"

Highlighting the difficult and unspoken topic of perinatal losse.

One in four pregnancies ends in loss. Most occur in the early stages, up to 12 weeks. Women would often not seek medical care with such losses. That is why, there is no accurate data. It can be a miscarriage, a stillborn, perinatal or neonatal death.

To help survive all stages of grief a “Angel’s Care” project was created in Ivano-Frankivsk. The Circle of Care is an awareness month for medical professionals about how to work with grief. It is a recurrent event held by the organization for the third time now, from November 15 to December 15.

Goal

The project’s main goal is to raise the awareness of medical professionals from gynecological wards, perinatal and neonatal centers, and NICU. It focuses on the effort to improve the quality of support for parents experiencing perinatal loss in medical institutions. Informing doctors about available support. Rising awareness of health professionals about living through traumatic experiences with the help of content about ways to overcome the psychological consequences of war.  

The project’s key objectives are to conduct an information campaign for doctors about basic support techniques for families in distress, and to provide medical institutions with information resources for parents about the available support for loss, and first aid. To communicate about how to maintain psychological resilience when working with grief.

Relevance and Importance  

Most medical professionals chose their professions to save lives. But, unfortunately, we have to work with losses. According to statistics, one in four pregnancies ends in loss. 13 babies under 1 month die every day in Ukraine. Medical professionals at perinatal and neonatal centers face families in grief every three days.  In Ukraine, doctors have not been trained before and they do not know how to work with families in grief. They do not know how to support them. They do not have information about support available outside the hospital.  This knowledge is necessary to prevent the re-traumatization of the family in grief, and the burnout for doctors who work with such families, as well as to promote the recovery of mental health for families after the loss, and prevent a more complicated process of grief. Also, it is important to have information about what support a grieving family can get, where to go, how to act. For the third year in a row, the Angel’s Care have been running an awareness month for doctors working with perinatal losses. During this time, they published information for doctors, talked about grief, grieving, and support. Also, they provide medical institutions of Ukraine with information materials to support families in grief.

Changes Entailed by the Project

• awareness-raising for medical professionals on how to work with grief in times of war;
• improving the quality of support for parents who have experienced the loss of a child during pregnancy, in childbirth, or shortly after;
• prevention of professional burnout in doctors working with losses;
• providing parents who have experienced perinatal loss with information about the available support, and careful support after the loss.

Outcomes

As the outcome, we can see an increase in doctors' awareness about working with perinatal losses. In the future, it will lead to improved support for parents who have experienced loss. The information campaign team reached an audience of  447,000 people (while it was expected to reach 350,000).  

In total, more than 180 medical workers ordered, and 120 of them received printed materials to support parents in grief; a certain percentage of doctors distributed materials to their colleagues.  

The following materials were sent out: 1,000 manuals Farewell to the Angel; 2,000 booklets “First Aid for Loss;” 2,000 leaflets “Being the Angel's Parents;” 3,000 stickers for the medical file; 500 badges for the doorknob; and 5,000 therapeutic leaflets for parents.  

The team estimates that approximately 100 families will receive information about available support each month throughout the year.  

The medical staff who ordered our materials will gain skills in working with patients in grief, which will significantly reduce the level of stress when working with vulnerable groups, and prevent professional burnout. Patients will receive basic first psychological support from the staff. Parents who have experienced the loss will immediately receive information about the available free support, such as the information about support groups, information about the online program “Being the Angel’s Parents.”  

The team expected to receive orders from 100 medical professionals, and eventually the number was unexpectedly higher, over 180. In addition, new requests continue to arrive. That is why, the Angel’s Care will continue to send out materials engaging our own resources.  

More than 10 health workers shared information about the Angel's Care and about the available support on social media, which contributed to increasing awareness among health workers on how to deal with parents in grief, as well as reduced the stigma around loss.  

The team was approached by 4 volunteers who are ready to help in the implementation of high quality support for grieving parents.

Target Audience

Parents who have experienced the loss of a child at any time during pregnancy, in childbirth, and shortly after.  Medical staff of women's consultations, gynecology wards, perinatal and neonatal centers, as well as NICUs.

Sustainability. Scaling up. Continuity

Support for parents is provided by the organization on a regular basis, and it is important for the team that parents receive information about the support available from the organization.  

The project is implemented by the Angel’s Care NGO thanks to financial support from ZMIN, under the grant program 2022.

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