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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the benefit of group based, patient centered education in the postpartum period.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand the necessary steps to implement such a program.
Learner readiness is key to health education, yet exhausted, sleep deprived postpartum women struggle learn baby and self-care prior to hospital discharge. Traditional hospital teaching is provider driven, typically with a nurse reviewing a checklist of educational items. Evidence from health education literature points to the importance of patient centered care and education.
Aim:
Improving learner engagement is key to improved educational outcomes. The Centering Pregnancy Program has had excellent success using a facilitative leadership model of group-based education during the prenatal period. We adapted this model to a more brief encounter during the postpartum hospitalization.
Methods:
Postpartum women and their families are gathered by language (English or Spanish) to participate in an hour long session in which self and baby care are reviewed. The nurse facilitator guides the discussion by encouraging the participants to share their knowledge with each other. Participants reinforce their own knowledge through active engagement and lively discussion. Interviews and written questionnaires are used to both qualitatively and quantitatively measure the effect on patients and nurses.
Results:
Participants express tremendous satisfaction after participating in the program. “I learned so much from the other mothers and I realized that they have the same concerns that I do,” reported one mother recently diagnosed with HIV. Postpartum nurses report that patients have a stronger mastery of knowledge prior to discharge. Finally, providers in the pediatric clinic state that they see a greater level of community between patients in the waiting room since they already know each other.
Conclusion:
Group based education using a facilitative leadership style during the postpartum hospitalization increases patient engagement with new knowledge, increases community, and normalizes parenting concerns.
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