The Needs of Dutch Women During Decision-Making About Treatment for Miscarriage

Abstract

Objective: To explore the needs of women during decision-making about treatment for miscarriage. Design: Descriptive qualitative design. Settings: University and teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants: We selected a purposive sample of 16 women who needed treatment for miscarriage from an electronic patient file system. We ensured maximum variation by sampling in different hospitals and selecting women with different ages, numbers of children, miscarriage histories, treatment types, and educational levels. Methods: We conducted face-to-face individual, semistructured interviews and used thematic analysis to identify, analyze, and describe themes. Results: We identified one overarching theme, Decision Based on Reason and Emotion, and three related subthemes: Certainty, Information, and Support From Environment. Conclusion: Health care professionals should be aware of how women's decision-making is structured in the context of treatment choices for miscarriage, and discussion regarding treatment should address reason and emotion.