Critical Concepts of Postpartum Discharge: A Way to Reduce Maternal Mortality

Course overview

This course discusses crucial Postpartum Discharge (PPD) patient safety concepts that should be addressed with the obstetric patient at the time of postpartum hospital discharge. The postpartum period is a critical time for ongoing care and safety of new mothers; it should be viewed as a continuum of pregnancy care. Recognition of the leading causes of maternal mortality and understanding of the standardized PPD teaching is important to ensure correct information is provided that highlights the post-birth warning signs and symptoms. It is imperative that patients and family understand the importance of healthcare follow-up. We will cover how evidence-based standardization has revolutionized patient safety and paved the way for optimal outcomes. We will review how the development of a PPD team for your own facility plays an important role by focusing on patient education and evaluating your own hospital's discharge practices to see where quality improvements can be implemented. After completing this course, practitioners should be able to: develop awareness of unprecedented rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States; recognize gaps, inconsistencies and failures of traditional postpartum discharge practices that require urgent reform; acknowledge the postpartum period as a continuum of pregnancy in which altered maternal physiology heightens vulnerability for maternal morbidity and mortality; identify leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality and recognize these causes as important warning signs and symptoms that all patients need to know; and list the crucial warning signs and symptoms associated with leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality that should be reviewed with each patient at the time of postpartum discharge.