This randomized trial aims to compare the effectiveness of two digital educational approaches for perinatal grief counseling training among midwives and nurses working in perinatal care settings in Türkiye: a social media-based education program delivered through Instagram and an online education program delivered through Zoom. Both groups will receive the same six-module perinatal grief counseling education content, but through different delivery methods. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two study groups. Outcomes will be assessed before the intervention, immediately after completion of the 6-week training program, and 4 weeks after the intervention. The study will evaluate changes in participants' competency and confidence in providing perinatal grief care and compare the sustainability of learning outcomes between the two digital education models.
Perinatal loss can have profound psychological effects on affected families. Midwives and nurses play an important role in providing emotional support and grief care following perinatal loss. However, healthcare professionals may have limited training and confidence in providing perinatal grief counseling. Structured education may improve their competency and confidence in delivering bereavement care. This study will compare a competency-based perinatal grief counseling education program delivered through two digital models: social media-based learning using Instagram and synchronous online learning using Zoom. The educational content was developed from a previously validated competency framework established through a Delphi consensus study. Both groups will receive the same six-module educational content and learning objectives; only the mode of delivery will differ. The study is designed as a two-arm randomized trial. Participants will complete assessments before the intervention, immediately after the training, and four weeks after completion of the intervention. The study will examine whether the digital delivery method affects competency and confidence in providing perinatal grief care and whether the learning outcomes are maintained over time.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
72
A six-week structured perinatal grief counseling education program delivered through Instagram using asynchronous posts, stories, reels, videos, quizzes, and interactive activities.
A six-week structured perinatal grief counseling education program delivered through synchronous Zoom sessions, including presentations, case discussions, interactive activities, and role-play exercises.
Istinye University, Faculty of Health Sciences
Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
Perinatal Bereavement Care Competency
This scale was developed by Shen et al. in 2022 to measure the grief care competence of midwives providing care to women experiencing perinatal death. Gökçek and Keser Özcan established its Turkish validity and reliability. The scale consists of 23 items and has six sub-dimensions: Maintaining Faith, Knowing, Being Together, Maintaining Esteem, Empowerment, and Self-Regulation. Each item is answered using a five-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree=1, Disagree=2, Undecided=3, Agree=4, Strongly Agree=5), resulting in a minimum score of 23 and a maximum score of 115. Higher scores indicate greater competence in perinatal grief counselling. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale ranged from 0.69 to 0.87 for the sub-dimensions and was 0.92 for the entire scale.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention.
Perinatal Bereavement Care Confidence
This scale, developed by Kalu et al. in 2019, measures midwives' and nurses' perceived competence in providing care to families experiencing perinatal loss. Dursun and Akkuş conducted the Turkish adaptation and reliability study of the scale. The scale consists of 35 items across four sub-dimensions: knowledge of grief support, grief support skills, self-awareness, and organizational support. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). Some statements are reverse scored (e.g., items 7, 11, and 33). Each sub-dimension is evaluated independently, and the total score is not calculated. In the original scale development study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the sub-dimensions ranged from 0.70 to 0.87.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention.
Participant Evaluation of the Educational Program
Participants' evaluation of the educational program using a researcher-developed Education Evaluation Form.
Time frame: Immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention.
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