Confronting death at birth: dialogues and solutions from health teachers and students

Abstract

Objective: To identify solutions to prepare health professionals to deal with death in the context of birth based on the experiences of teachers and students. Methods: A qualitative, problematizing study was conducted with 10 teachers and 2 students from the medicine, nursing, and psychology courses at a university in southern Brazil. Data collection was carried out through focus groups, organized according to the stages of Charles Maguerez’s problematization arc. The analysis followed Minayo’s operationalization and Paulo Freire’s theoretical framework. Results: Health professionals reported difficulties in welcoming different types of grief, associated with gaps in education, institutional limitations, and a lack of spaces for listening. As solutions, they highlighted the cross-cutting inclusion of the theme in undergraduate courses, the creation of spaces for emotional support, the encouragement of interdisciplinary groups, and the strengthening of professional leadership in the face of ethical and care challenges. Conclusion: The sharing of experiences revealed educational and transformative potential, highlighting the urgency of curricular and institutional changes to improve the quality of care.