Self-administered medications in the postpartum wards: A study on satisfaction and perceptions

The objective of this study was to describe women's satisfaction and perceptions on the postpartum self-administered medication (SAM) program at our institution and on pain relief. Also, we aimed at describing maternal and breastfed infants' adverse events with the use of the postpartum SAM program.

This prospective 1-group mixed methods survey conducted in a mother-and-child tertiary center included women enrolled in the postpartum SAM program who had a live newborn, understood French or English, and were at least 18 years old. Newborns included cohabited with their mother during their hospitalization and had received breast milk at least once. Data were collected through direct interviews using a questionnaire and through medical charts.

We included 314 mothers and 263 breastfed newborns in the study. Ninety-seven percent of all users appreciated the SAM. The self-reported median overall improvement of pain was 80% (interquartile range, 70%-90%). However, 18% of users who delivered vaginally and 32% who delivered through caesarean would have preferred traditional drug dispensing by the nurse (P = .009). Drugs used in the SAM program were generally well tolerated. There were no worrisome adverse drug events reported in newborns' medical charts.

Results show a 97% rate of satisfaction of the SAM program and a high self-reported pain improvement in a cohort of 314 women using our SAM program. The results suggest that the SAM program should remain a standard practice in our institution. Some recommendations will be drawn to better tailor the SAM program to the needs expressed by the users.