Abstract
Objective
To explore and understand postpartum inpatient experiences in a Canadian context.
Methods
Inpatients at BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre were invited to complete a questionnaire
during their postpartum stay. Completed responses were obtained from 178 women, representing
44% of all postpartum inpatients during the survey period.
Results
Overall, women had positive experiences during their postpartum stay: 93% rated their
experience as “excellent” or “very good”; 78% felt that nurses never seemed rushed
or too busy to care for them; and 85% of women found the nurses to be very helpful
with breastfeeding. Two-thirds of the women had concerns about going home that were
related to infant feeding, feeling overwhelmed, and not knowing how to settle their
baby. Other areas of improvement pertained to the hospital environment being less
restful than desired. Certain groups needed additional support, such as primiparous
women, women who had Caesarean deliveries, and women from certain ethnic groups.
Conclusion
This exploration of women's inpatient postpartum experiences in a Canadian hospital
provides valuable information for improving service delivery, including assessing
hospital routines, providing information/education, and improving discharge planning.
Given that postpartum experiences are not uniform across demographic groups, an alternative
or augmented approach to postpartum care may be warranted for some women.
Résumé
Objectif
Explorer et comprendre les expériences postpartum à l’hôpital au Canada.
Méthodologie
On a invité des patientes hospitalisées au BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre à répondre
à un questionnaire durant leur séjour postpartum. En tout, 178 femmes ont répondu,
soit 44 % de toutes les patientes sollicitées.
Résultats
Dans l’ensemble, les femmes avaient eu des expériences positives durant leur séjour
postpartum : 93 % ont qualifié leur expérience d’« excellente » ou de « très bonne
»; 78 % trouvaient que les infirmières ne semblaient jamais trop pressées ou trop
occupées pour s’occuper d’elles; et 85 % trouvaient que les infirmières les avaient
beaucoup aidées pour l’allaitement maternel. Les deux tiers des femmes avaient des
inquiétudes pour le retour à la maison quant à l’alimentation du bébé, au sentiment
d’être submergées et à la façon de calmer leur bébé. Les autres points à améliorer
concernaient le fait que l’environnement hospitalier ne permettait pas le repos souhaité.
Certains groupes avaient besoin de soutien supplémentaire, notamment les femmes primipares,
les femmes qui avaient subi une césarienne et les femmes de certains groupes ethniques.
Conclusion
Cette exploration des expériences postpartum des femmes dans un hôpital canadien donne
des renseignements précieux pour l’amélioration de la prestation des services, notamment
en ce qui concerne l’évaluation des routines hospitalières, l’éducation et les renseignements
fournis et la planification du congé. Comme les expériences postpartum ne sont pas
uniformes d’un groupe démographique à l’autre, il peut être nécessaire d’offrir à
certaines femmes une approche différente ou augmentée.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 13,
2018
Received:
November 6,
2017
Footnotes
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Identification
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada/La Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
