Objective: to identify the most important learning needs of postpartum mothers.
Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive.
Population, Sample, Setting, Years: In 2002, 133 non high-risk postpartum women from two midwestern hospitals responded. Women had delivered within 48 hours of participation in study.
Concept or Variables Studied Together or Intervention and Outcome Variable(s): learning needs of adults.
Methods: The Postpartum Teaching Questionnaire, adapted by Beger and Cook in 1998, was used (with permission). Women were asked to rate the importance of 23 infant and 14 maternal topics that could be taught during postpartum hospitalization. Women who agreed to participate were given the instrument to complete before discharge from hospital. Rate of response from potential subjects was 78%.
Findings: Respondents' average age was nearly 30 years. 85% were married and almost all (98%) had had prenatal care. 64% had vaginal deliveries (36% C/S). Nearly all (97%) said that they have help available when they go home. Respondents prefer individualized teaching (55%) with less preferring handouts/books (21%), group classes (16%), and videos/TV (8%). Primiparas' priority learning needs, in descending order are: circumcision, jaundice, infant bowel/urine, feeding cord care, infant illness, infant medication, stitches/incision. Mothers' concerns were centered on their newborns and less on themselves. For multiparas, surprisingly, more learning needs were identified than with primparas.
Conclusions: Individualized teaching is the preferred method for learning. Primparas' do not understand the words that we take for granted (eg "circumcision" and "jaundice"). Multiparas continue to have multiple learning needs.
Implications: Carefully explain medical terminology to postpartum women. Do not assume that multiparas "know it all". They may have more questions because they may have realized, once they had gone home with their first baby, that there had beeen much more to learn. Ask women what their most important learning needs are.
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