Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding miscarriage: A cross-sectional study among Flemish midwives

OBJECTIVE: to examine the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of Flemish midwives regarding miscarriage. DESIGN AND SETTING: a cross-sectional KAP study was conducted in 28 hospitals in Flanders (Northern region of Belgium) from September 2015 to January 2016. PARTICIPANTS: a total of 647 out of 1200 midwives (53.9%) working on maternity, labour and gynaecological wards, maternal and neonatal (intensive) care units, antenatal consultations, and reproductive medicine were recruited. MEASUREMENTS: data were collected using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire. FINDINGS: the mean knowledge score was 6.31 out of 10. Of all participants, 47% recently cared for couples with miscarriage, and the majority (97%) indicated a key role for midwives in the psychosocial support of those couples. Lack of time, incapability and fear of being overwhelmed by their own feelings were identified as main barriers for psychosocial support. Knowledge was more often evaluated as adequate when miscarriage was included in the midwifery education (31% vs. 17.3%, χ2 = 12.965, df = 1, p