Postpartum home visits by maternity nursing students

Fewer babies are being born; hospital postpartum days are being shortened; and many families are choosing home births: These facts have prompted nursing educators to seek maternity experiences for students outside the hospital setting. At the university where the student-visit program was implemented, faculty appreciated the need for follow-up home care and focused on more than the experiences in prenatal clinics and the acute-care setting. Rather than turning the family over to another community service or colleague when indicated, second and third home visits are being considered. These additional visits would assure a greater opportunity for primary prevention in the care of the total family. Hospital management and home-care maternity nurses have found that postpartum visits have decreased the need for parents to return to the emergency room or the hospital. Problems have been anticipated or assessed and nursing intervention provided on the home visit. This service gradually is becoming available to more families, with both physical and psychosocial needs being considered. It is hoped that it soon will be provided to all families. Postpartum families, nurses, and nursing students benefit from follow-up postpartum visits in the home. The families are assisted in their parenting roles and nurses gain satisfaction in providing continuity of care.