Single room maternity care and client satisfaction.

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Single room maternity care (SRMC) provides continuous intrapartum and postpartum care by one nurse, promoting family-centered care.
• A demonstration unit was established at B.C. Women's Hospital, a tertiary obstetric teaching facility.
• Client satisfaction was evaluated by comparing SRMC with traditional maternity care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare client satisfaction between women receiving single room maternity care and those in traditional settings.
• To evaluate the impact of SRMC on various aspects of patient experience.
• To identify factors contributing to client satisfaction in SRMC.

Main Methods:

• A study group of 205 low-risk women admitted to the SRMC unit was surveyed.
• Responses were compared to a historical group of 221 women and a concurrent group of 104 women meeting the same criteria.
• Satisfaction surveys assessed areas including information, support, environment, nursing care, education, infant feeding, privacy, and discharge preparation.

Main Results:

• Women in the SRMC group reported higher satisfaction across all evaluated areas compared to both comparison groups.
• Key areas of improvement included information provision, nursing support, physical environment, and infant feeding assistance.
• Enhanced respect for privacy and better preparation for discharge were also noted by SRMC participants.

Conclusions:

• Single room maternity care is associated with significant improvements in client satisfaction.
• Factors contributing to enhanced satisfaction include the physical setting, reduced patient transfers, and improved continuity of nursing care.
• SRMC represents a successful model for enhancing the maternity care experience.