DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

The postpartum period is a joyous time of mother-infant bonding, but it can also be a risky time for women. Despite the education that is provided to postpartum women after birth, many women are still questioning whether or not the signs and symptoms they are experiencing are sufficiently alarming to alert a health care provider. Any delay in seeking care can contribute to poor health outcomes and even maternal mortality. Registered nurses oftentimes provide the bulk of discharge education to postpartum patients. When their knowledge or confidence levels regarding specific topics are low, this can negatively impact the education they provide. If registered nurses are more knowledgeable regarding maternal morbidity and mortality statistics as well as post-birth warning signs, they can strengthen their patient education by encouraging women to seek care in a more-timely manner. This quality improvement project examined the knowledge and teaching habits of postpartum registered nurses in relation to post-birth warning signs and maternal morbidity and mortality statistics. Data was collected before and after an online educational module at a hospital in the southeast between October and December 2020. The registered nurses’ knowledge and teaching habits were measured through pre-and post-surveys. Results suggested that nurses were not up-to-date on current maternal morbidity and mortality statistics. After the provision of an educational module, there was no change seen in their knowledge level or feelings of competency when discussing particular complications, but there was a difference seen in the nurses’ likelihood of discussing topics of hypertension and cardiac disease with patients. Educational and research efforts should continue to provide postpartum nurses with the tools necessary to improve outcomes in postpartum women.

Date

Spring 4-10-2021

First Advisor

Steven Busby

Scholarly Project Team Member

David Phillippi

Scholarly Project Team Member

Robin Cobb

Scholarly Project Team Member

Eva Montgomery-Lewis

Department

Nursing, School of

College

Health Sciences & Nursing, Gordon E. Inman College of

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree

Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Grantor

Belmont University

Keywords

postpartum; education; teaching; post-birth; maternal mortality and morbidity; discharge education; registered nurses

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