Effects of Discharge Planning Intervention in postpartum periods

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Discharge planning consists of activities and services provided for patients according to their needs in the period of continuous care after childbirth. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of discharge planning intervention for postpartum care. Methods and materials: This is an interventional (before& after) study which was conducted during 2014-2015. The eligible participants were nulliparous pregnant. In the intervention group mothers were under the intervention program from admission until two months after discharge and in the control group mothers received routine care. The indicators of quality of life, health literacy, satisfaction, readmission, height and weight of newborns, on time vaccination, breast-feeding, postpartum infection and postpartum depression were assessed in two groups before and after discharge. Results were compared before and after the intervention in both groups. Results: The findings showed that the intervention had no effect on the rate of mothers’ readmissions. Assessment of Satisfaction before and after the in the two groups separately was not significant in the control group but it was significant in the intervention group (p- value <0.0001). The results of tests for the variables of height, weight and postpartum depression was not statistically significant in the two groups. Evaluating the effect of intervention on the breastfeeding showed significant effects of intervention on breastfeeding (p-value =0.007). In assessing the impact of on time vaccination, although data showed 13% difference in the two groups, but Fisher's exact test results were not statistically significant. The results indicated a significant difference between postpartum infection rate in the intervention group and the control group. Comparisons showed significant difference of mothers' knowledge before and after the intervention in both groups. The quality of life before and after the intervention was measured separately in two groups and the results were significant (p-value<0.0001). Conclusion: Discharge planning and program formulation in the form of a training manual for any mother which one nurse / midwife is in connection with mothers through telephone in the days after birth is effective in improving health literacy, mothers` satisfaction, breastfeeding and postpartum infection. Key words: Discharge Planning, postpartum care, telephone follow-up