Postpartum Unit Modifies Delivery of Care to Enhance Readiness

Abstract

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program New mothers and their families have multiple learning needs, starting in the prenatal period and progressing through labor into the postpartum phase. Nurses are accountable for facilitating the necessary learning by identifying and addressing the specific needs of the family unit. Before discharge it is the responsibility of the nurse and health care team to ensure that the patient and family receive consistent and reliable information. Recognizing an opportunity to improve patient perception of readiness for discharge, our mother/infant unit decided to revise our care delivery model. Proposed Change Modifications to practice included development of a blue discharge folder to be originated upon admission and serve as a living document to record education and follow the woman throughout her stay. This folder served as a reference for the interprofessional team as well as a continuous resource for home. Additionally by incorporating a designated discharge nurse, providing an in‐patient daily Baby Care Class, developing and utilizing a Postpartum Resource Reference Guide , and incorporating specific medication use/side effect information cards, efforts were established to reinforce patient education throughout the hospital stay. Additional resources were implemented for women after discharge, including 24‐hour help‐lines, follow‐up phone calls, home health visits, breastfeeding support groups, and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation For a 12‐month period we have tracked patient responses to the following specific Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey questions. These data were used to measure the effectiveness of the modifications implemented. Specific questions and corresponding results included Staff described possible side effects of their medicine (preintervention 55, postintervention 73.7); Nurses and physicians explained things in a way patients could understand (preintervention 84.2 postintervention 91.50); Patients received information in writing about symptoms or health problems to look out for after leaving the hospital (preintervention 87.3, postintervention 98.3); and Extent to which you felt ready for discharge (preintervention 85.9, postintervention 92.7). The patient response has been overwhelmingly positive to these changes as evidenced by patient comments. Implications for Nursing Practice By providing consistent and individualized education to all patients, our unit was able to provide thorough and accurate discharge education and to increase patient readiness for discharge.