Facilitating care after perinatal loss. A comprehensive checklist.

Each year, one out of five women suffers the loss of a pregnancy. Such losses are more than statistics: to many mothers, they represent the death of a longed-for child. While increasing attention has been directed toward meeting the needs of these women, the services provided are often fragmented. The use of a comprehensive checklist for providing care facilitates continuity and consistency of care and offers structure and direction for the caregiver. In this manner, vital aspects of care are not omitted as the bereaved woman moves through the health-care delivery system.