Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Nursing
Committee Chair
Felecia Wood
Committee Member
Ann Bianchi
Committee Member
Rita Ferguson
Committee Member
Mercy Mumba
Committee Member
Carol Ratcliffe
Research Advisor
Felecia Wood
Subject(s)
Cesarean section--Nursing, Puerperal disorders, Hypertension, Patient education, Home nursing
Abstract
Cesarean births in the United States (U.S.) have increased steadily over the last decade. Researchers have identified maternal hypertension/hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) as a comorbidity associated with the increase of cesarean births. Mothers who are diagnosed with HDP and undergo a cesarean birth have a dual diagnosis of high-risk pregnancy, and due to worsening conditions, are readmitted to the hospital more frequently than mothers who experience a vaginal birth. This study aimed to determine whether a patient discharge education intervention provided by a transition of care (ToC) team or interdisciplinary care team (IDT), combined with early follow-up care from a home-health visit (HHV) contributed to reducing post-cesarean readmissions related to HDP. The control group data were retrieved from the historical records at the collection site. Those participants received the routinely administered postnatal survey, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and standard discharge education. The participants in the experimental group received the Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory, Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, ToC team discharge education, and the follow-up HHV, 10 to 14 days post-discharge. The analysis demonstrated statistically notable differences in readmission outcomes between the control and intervention groups. Among participants in the control group (n = 47), 46.8% were readmitted, while 53.2% were not. In comparison, the intervention group (n = 47) showed only 4.3% readmissions and 95.7% of participants were not readmitted within the 30-day measured timeframe, suggesting a substantial reduction in readmissions for participants who received the intervention.
Recommended Citation
Armstead, Stephanie, "The contributions of patient education and home visits to reduce post-cesarean hypertension readmissions" (2025). Dissertations. 471.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dissertations/471
Comments
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the joint Nursing Science Ph.D. Program ...