Evaluation of Nursing Care in the Early Postpartum Period

Objective: Evaluation of the care given in the postpartum period is vital in terms of the quality of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate nursing care in the early postpartum period. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in a postpartum clinic between December 2016 and January 2017 with 130 mothers in postpartum period, and 18 nurses and midwives working in the same postpartum clinic. Data were collected using a personal information form, and the Postpartum Nursing Care Evaluation Tool (PPNCET). The data analysis was conducted using percentages, arithmetic mean, independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 26.80 ± 4.90, and of the nurses and midwives was 35.83 ± 12.14. The mean PPNCET score of the mothers was 141.58 ± 32.03. The mean care subscale score of the mothers was 69.88 ± 12.06 and of the education subscale was 71.70 ± 19.97. The mean PPNCET score of the nurses and midwives was 153.50 ± 23.18. The mean care subscale score of the nurses and midwives was 73.38 ± 8.84, and the mean education subscale score was 80.11 ± 14.33. Conclusions: The mean PPNCET score of mothers and nurses and midwives were higher than the average. Higher PPNCET scores of the nurses and midwives compared to the mothers suggests that either the postpartum care given was not perceived as adequate by the mothers, or the care was not served in adequate quality. To increase postpartum care satisfaction of the mothers, involving nurses and midwives in the care process more is suggested. In line with these results, planning in-service training programs to develop the knowledge and skills of the nurses and midwives would be beneficial in increasing the quality of service