| There are a number of reasons to etiologically
evaluate stillborn infants. Most importantly, such
assessment can help answer the questions, "Why did
this happen?" and "Will this happen
again?" Answers not only can help parents work
through their grief, they can provide important
information relevant to future reproductive decision
making. Some diagnoses will directly affect prenatal
diagnostic options, guide prenatal and perinatal
management, as well as provide help in anticipating
potential neonatal problems in subsequent infants. As
professionals who care about the physical and emotional
health of their patients and can empathize with such a
tragic loss, physicians, nurses, and counselors, too, can
benefit from understanding why a baby has died and, at
the same time, provide an important service. With
WiSSP's guidance, physicians and nurses can follow
through with comprehensive etiologic investigation of
stillborn infants:
• Justification of the
WiSSP Protocol
provides data about the utility of an established
protocol in stillbirth assessment
• The WiSSP Protocol
provides specific step-by-step- instructions and
algorithms for evaluating stillborns and guidance for
insuring that families are counseled appropriately
• Commonly Asked
Questions
answers questions regarding stillbirth evaluation
that often arise
• WiSSP Scientific
Publication Abstracts
summarize WiSSP's experience as a community-based,
University-supported stillbirth assessment service,
findings about causes of intrauterine death, and
information about selected processes.
For Physicians, Nurses, and
Counselors
WiSSP home page
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