ArticleBMJ open2022
Metaphors that shape parents' perceptions of effective communication with healthcare practitioners following child death: a qualitative UK study.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enhancing communication with bereaved relatives about emergency and critical care trials (ENHANCE): a mixed-methods study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Nurses' experiences of end-of-life communication with children who have life-threatening conditions in paediatric intensive care units: a qualitative descriptive study.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Needs and experiences of families after a sudden unexplained death in childhood: a qualitative study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- 'Stories of Loss'-Designing and Evaluating a Patient-Led Perinatal Bereavement Programme for Medical Students.The clinical teacher · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo offer an interpretation of bereaved parents' evaluations of communication with healthcare practitioners (HCPs) surrounding the death of a child.
designInterpretative qualitative study employing thematic and linguistic analyses of metaphor embedded in interview data.
settingEngland and Scotland.
participants24 bereaved parents (21 women, 3 men).
methodsParticipants were recruited through the True Colours Trust website and mailing list, similar UK charities and word of mouth. Following interviews in person or via video-conferencing platforms (Skype/Zoom), transcripts first underwent thematic and subsequently linguistic analyses supported by NVivo. A focused analysis of metaphors used by the parents was undertaken to allow in-depth interpretation of how they conceptualised their experiences.
resultsThe findings illuminate the ways parents experienced communication with HCPs surrounding the death of a child. Key findings from this study suggest that good communication with HCPs following the death of a child should acknowledge parental identity (and that of their child as an individual) and offer opportunities for them to enact this; taking account their emotional and physical experiences; and accommodate their altered experiences of time.
conclusionsThis study suggests that HCPs when communicating with bereaved parents need to recognise, and seek to comprehend, the ways in which the loss impacts on an individual's identity as a parent, the 'physical' nature of the emotions that can be unleashed and the ways in which the death of a child can alter their metaphorical conceptions of time.
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