Improving Postpartum Education About Warning Signs Of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality

Abstract

Maternal morbidity and mortality rates remain high in the United States compared with other developed countries. Of particular concern is the rise in postpartum deaths, because many of the risk factors for complications associated with maternal morbidity and mortality may not be clearly identified before a woman's discharge after birth. Although nurses provide some form of postpartum discharge education to all women who give birth, the information women receive on common potential complications is not always consistent or evidence based. By improving postpartum education, nurses may be better poised to teach women how to recognize and respond to warning signs. This article describes a project intended to increase women's access to predischarge education about the risks for postbirth complications.

Keywords: maternal morbidity; maternal mortality; postpartum complications; postpartum education; pregnancy-related death.