The key finding
A 2024 scoping review examining 41 studies found that individuals experiencing miscarriage are frequently dissatisfied with the care they receive in healthcare settings, despite the existence of practice recommendations designed to address their needs. The analysis revealed consistent gaps across five key dimensions: care settings and accessibility, information provision, emotional support, decision-making processes, and follow-up care. While clinical practice recommendations generally acknowledge these issues and offer guidance for patient-centered care, the persistence of negative experiences suggests that implementing these recommendations effectively remains a widespread challenge in healthcare systems.
What the study looked like
Researchers conducted a scoping review—a type of study that systematically maps existing research on a topic—by searching PubMed for peer-reviewed studies published through April 30, 2022. From an initial pool of 1,812 studies, they narrowed their focus to 41 studies that specifically examined individuals’ experiences with miscarriage care in healthcare settings across various countries. The review analyzed both qualitative research capturing patients’ lived experiences and documents outlining practice recommendations for healthcare providers. The studies included explored multiple aspects of care: where and how people accessed services, what information they received, the emotional support offered, their involvement in treatment decisions, and the follow-up care provided after miscarriage.
Why researchers think this happened
The disconnect between practice recommendations and patient experiences likely stems from implementation challenges rather than absent guidelines. The researchers found that existing practice recommendations do acknowledge the importance of patient-centered care, shared decision-making, and addressing both informational and emotional needs. However, these guidelines may not be consistently applied in real-world clinical settings. Possible explanations include insufficient training for healthcare providers on delivering compassionate miscarriage care, time constraints in busy clinical environments, lack of institutional support for comprehensive follow-up, and potential gaps in awareness about existing recommendations among frontline staff. The review also highlighted that research has not adequately focused on communities facing the greatest barriers to care, meaning practice recommendations may not fully reflect the needs of all populations experiencing miscarriage.
How to read this carefully
This scoping review synthesizes existing research rather than presenting new data from patients, which means its findings are limited by the quality and scope of the underlying studies. The 41 included studies likely represent diverse healthcare systems, cultural contexts, and time periods, making it difficult to pinpoint specific systemic factors driving poor experiences. Additionally, scoping reviews map the landscape of research but don’t assess study quality as rigorously as systematic reviews do. The finding that practice recommendations exist but aren’t consistently implemented doesn’t tell us why implementation fails or which specific interventions would successfully bridge this gap. The review also notes significant research gaps regarding marginalized communities, meaning the experiences documented may not fully represent all individuals who experience miscarriage.
What this means for everyday life
For individuals who have experienced or may experience miscarriage, this research validates feelings of dissatisfaction with care—it’s not just individual bad luck but a systemic issue recognized in medical literature. When seeking miscarriage care, it may be worth considering that you have the right to ask questions, request emotional support resources, and participate actively in treatment decisions. If your healthcare setting feels rushed or dismissive, advocating for yourself or bringing a support person might help, though the burden shouldn’t fall on patients alone. For healthcare providers and institutions, this review underscores the urgency of translating existing guidelines into daily practice through better training, adequate appointment time, and systematic emotional support resources. Given that miscarriage is common yet care remains inconsistent, broader conversations about improving reproductive healthcare quality are clearly needed.