Abstract
Grief does not only affect human emotions but also impacts their physical health. Understanding physical grief of people can bring to bear the grip of its daunting nature, a situation where routines become challenging. A qualitative explorative descriptive research method was used. A purposive sample of 18 ward supervisors and 39 ward midwives was used to ascertain the physical effects of maternal deaths on these caregivers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Data were collected through semistructured and focus group discussions. Data analysis was done parallel with data collection till saturation was reached. Ethics was obtained from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and Ghana Health Service. The findings indicated that generally, as a result of grieving over the deaths of their patients, midwives experienced physical health sufferings. Therefore, reported depression is expressed as insomnia, appetite loss, exhaustion, and social isolation. There is the need to reduce the physical effects of patients' death on caregivers in Ghana and therefore, the study recommends that all hospitals in Ghana utilize employee assistance programmes, a workplace intervention programme designed for such purposes.
Highlights
IntroductionA public health issue in Ghana, refers to the death of a woman during pregnancy or childbirth or within 42 days after delivery [1]
Introduction and BackgroundMaternal mortality, a public health issue in Ghana, refers to the death of a woman during pregnancy or childbirth or within 42 days after delivery [1]
Midwives were between the ages of 22 and 61 years with 56.1% of them less than 46 years. This means that more young midwives suffer maternal death in their work life with coping challenges
Summary
A public health issue in Ghana, refers to the death of a woman during pregnancy or childbirth or within 42 days after delivery [1]. While it may appear as a single event, it bears catastrophic consequences on the emotional make-up of caregiving midwives charged with the responsibility of the well-being of pregnant women and their babies [2]. Depression creates a situation where people lose interest in normal and familiar activities [6] In this state, the individual becomes moody and unhappy, and unwilling to do anything. Depression is a risk factor for any cardiacprovoking situations as posited by Whang and colleagues [9]
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