Fostering Resilience in Perinatal Palliative Care Professionals (303)

The demands on health care professionals caring for families grappling with a life limiting condition in an unborn or newly born child can be overwhelming. Clinicians working in pediatric settings are already at high risk for compassion fatigue and burnout which can leave healthcare institutions increasingly vulnerable to poor retention, absenteeism, and waning quality of care. Nurses and healthcare professionals often cite a lack of knowledge, inexperience using effective communication skills related to perinatal palliative care and bereavement, challenges with interdisciplinary collaboration, misconceptions about the role and function of palliative care in the perinatal or neonatal settings, moral distress, and workload challenges as encumbrances to professional satisfaction. Interestingly, aspects of relational efficacy that incorporate several aspects of humility when approaching patients and colleagues can promote desirable professionalism and enhance one’s zeal for empathetic caregiving.