Individualised, flexible postnatal care: a feasibility study for a randomised controlled trial.

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Postnatal Care Models
• Healthcare Feasibility Studies

Background:

• Current hospital postnatal care often uses rigid pathways, limiting personalized care.
• Explored a flexible, individualized early postnatal care model in a tertiary maternity setting.
• Assessed the feasibility and acceptability of this dynamic care approach for women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a flexible, individualized early postnatal care model.
• To determine women's willingness to participate in a new care approach.
• To inform the design of a future randomized controlled trial.

Main Methods:

• Feasibility study involving low-risk pregnant women (recruited at 26 weeks gestation).
• Antenatal planning for early postpartum discharge with home-based postnatal care.
• Program uptake, women's views (postal survey), and clinical data were collected.

Main Results:

• 39% study uptake; 90% positive reception to individualized care planning.
• 88% would opt for the program again; however, only 43% received planned home visits.
• 62% stayed longer than planned in hospital due to clinical factors.

Conclusions:

• Women strongly favor individualized postnatal care planning initiated during pregnancy.
• Postnatal care planning requires ongoing flexibility due to unpredictable clinical factors.
• Organizational challenges in implementing flexible postnatal care may hinder feasibility studies.