Improving the postnatal outcomes of new mothers

Abstract

Background. Postnatal depression persists worldwide as a troubling issue for many new mothers and their families. The practice of early discharge within 72 hours after birth from maternity hospitals in Australia requires community-based care of new mothers, typically provided by community midwives initially, and then by maternal and child health nurses (MCHN). This latter workforce encounters the onset of distress/depression in vulnerable women and is expected to manage their care, but their training does not equip sufficiently them to do this. Aims. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of brief training for MCHN in early detection and effective management of mildly distres..