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Nurses can’t properly identify all postpartum risks in new mothers
STATES CHRONICLE – A recent study found a worrying conclusion regarding nurses who care for new mothers and their babies. It seems that most of them don’t have all the necessary knowledge to identify the symptoms of various postpartum conditions. This can lead to mothers’ lives being put in danger, as they leave the hospital without being aware they might be suffering from a life-threatening condition.
Nurses are not aware of the postpartum symptoms
The study was published in the American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. Researchers interviewed 372 nurses registered to take care of women during postpartum period. The results were more than worrying. Eighty-eight percent of these nurses were not able to tell the three major causes of death among new mothers.
Apart from not being aware of dangerous signs, these nurses didn’t even spend much time with the patient. About two thirds of the interviewed ones declared they spent about 10 minutes or less looking for potential dangerous signs. This might be due to the fact that they wrongfully classify these signs.
Sometimes, women are not properly informed on the dangers they might be in after childbirth. As an explanation, nurses said they didn’t want to scare the women, and let then enjoy these wonderful moments in their lives. However, these moments could be spoiled anytime, so it’s important for them to know there are risks as well.
Increase in maternal morbidity rates
Recently, the United States has experienced an increase in maternal mortality. Therefore, one important solution to this problem would be a better awareness on the risks. About 65,000 women from the US struggle with complications after giving birth. Among these complications, there are heart attacks or hemorrhaging, contributing to the higher mortality rate among new mothers.
Between 2000 and 2010, the severe maternal morbidity almost doubled. This is pretty serious, so both nurses and new mothers should properly inform themselves on the postpartum risks, so that all women should enjoy this wonderful period in their life.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
