Miscarriage and Curtains: A phenomenological autoethnography of curtains, privacy, and loss in an Early Pregnancy Unit in the UK

Abstract

Curtains are an understudied everyday object which have considerable power. Research on their use within hospitals has primarily focused on their role in infection control, rather than as an agent for ensuring privacy and dignity. This paper presents an autoethnography of an Early Pregnancy Unit by a medical ethnographer experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, with a phenomenological focus on curtains. Within the treatment room, curtains facilitated bodily privacy and emotional support for those preparing for invasive scans. On the ward, staff attempted to use curtains to provide privacy, but the curtains were inadequate. This reduced the dignity of patients by allowing private moments, including visibly miscarrying a foetus, to be observed. It also allowed discussions around disposing of foetal remains to be overheard by others, reducing privacy. Hospital curtains are important agents of privacy and dignity, particularly around bereavement and loss.