Which mothers receive a post partum home visit in Queensland, Australia? A cross-sectional retrospective study.

Conclusions Home visiting in Queensland varies markedly between the public and private sector and is less common in some vulnerable populations. Further consideration to improving the equity of community post partum care in Queensland is needed. What is known about the topic? A recent paper found that most women from the public sector in Victoria and South Australia receive an early post partum home visit from a midwife or nurse. Queensland only recently implemented a program to increase post partum home visiting but who receives visits is still unknown. What does this paper add? No previous study has investigated which women receive early post partum home visits in Queensland, nor home visiting rates within the private sector. This paper also examines whether specific subpopulations of vulnerable post partum women are receiving home visits so that patterns of inequity or unmet needs can be identified. What are the implications for practitioners? Home visiting by nurses or midwives in the post partum period in Queensland was less common than in other Australian states, and varies markedly between the public and private sector. These differences highlight inequities in community post partum care that need to be addressed if women are to receive the most cost-effective and clinically appropriate care and support in the post partum period. PMID: 25527903 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research