[Inpatient postpartum nursing: evaluation of "holistic" and "traditional" nursing processes in the post partum period]

Abstract

During the last years one could observe a change in the organisation of postpartum care at hospitals in Germany. Maternity hospitals implement new models of care which they call "holistic", "integrated" or "family centered" care. The reasons for the implementation are various. The desire for an optimal care has surely to be mentioned in the first place, but social changes and changes in health politics like the shortening of the lengths of hospital stay after a normal birth and the demand for quality assurance are also very important. But what does the "new model of care" mean for mothers, their children and their families and for the staff? What effects have the new models of care in comparison with the traditional ones? Will the goals be achieved? A formative programme evaluation was chosen in order to investigate these questions. To do justice to the research plan, to the complexity of the field of research and to produce valid results, three qualitative methods were applied: (keywords: triangulation: time triangulation, within-method-triangulation): participant observation, problem-oriented interview according to Witzel and document analysis. The evaluation of the data followed the method of qualitative content analysis developed by Mayring. As a whole, the results suggest that the new model of care has not produced the changes and not left the impression and effects on the mothers and the staff the hospital and the supporters had hoped for.