Nurses’ knowledge and teaching of possible postpartum complications
Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess postpartum nurses' knowledge of maternal morbidity and mortality, and information they shared with women before discharge about identifying potential warning signs of postpartum complications. STUDY DESIGN & METHODS: Registered nurses (RNs) who care for women during postpartum (N = 372) completed an electronic survey. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-four percent of nurse participants were aware of the rising rates of maternal mortality in the United States and 12% accurately reported the correct percentage of deaths that occurred during the postpartum period. Ninety-three percent of nurses were more likely to identify hemorrhage as a leading cause of maternal mortality. On the day of discharge, 67% of RNs spent less than 10 minutes focusing on potential warning signs. Ninety-five percent of RNs reported a correlation between postpartum education and mortality; however, only 72% strongly agreed it was their responsibility to provide this education. Nurse respondents who were over the age of 40 were significantly more likely to report feeling very competent when providing education on all of the postpartum complication variables measured (p values <0.001-0.003). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The majority of nurses in this study were not up-to-date on the rates and timing of maternal mortality during the postpartum period in the United States. They did not always provide comprehensive education to all women prior to discharge from the hospital after childbirth. There is a need for nurses to provide consistent messages about potential warning signs that may ultimately reduce maternal death and severity of maternal complications.
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The content of postpartum discharge education varies by the expertise of the nurse who delivers it, agency protocols, national guidelines, and the discipline of the provider who delivers it.
“The content of this education varies by the expertise of the nurse who delivers it (Suplee et al., 2017), agency protocols, national guidelines, and the discipline of the provider who delivers it (Bajorek & McElroy, 2020).”
From Scoping Review of Postpartum Discharge Education Provided by Nurses (2022) · cites this paper as Suplee et al., 2017
Nurse knowledge, judgement, and expertise and women's needs and characteristics influence outcomes.
“Nurse knowledge, judgement, and expertise (Manetti, 2019; Suplee et al., 2017) and women’s needs, and characteristics influence outcomes.”
From Scoping Review of Postpartum Discharge Education Provided by Nurses (2022) · cites this paper as Suplee et al., 2017
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- Authors
- Suplee, P. D., Bingham, D., & Kleppel, L.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Venue
- MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
- Published
- 2017-11
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 338-344
- ISSN
- 0361-929X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2745970847
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 4.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Maternal and fetal healthcare
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Keywords
- postpartum complications, maternal mortality, maternal morbidity, nurses' knowledge, patient education, warning signs, hemorrhage, discharge education, nursing competencies
- MeSH terms
- Workforce, Adult, Clinical Competence, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Maternal Mortality, Middle Aged, Nurses, Obstetric Nursing, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Surveys and Questionnaires, Postpartum Period
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