Self-Administered Medication on a Postpartum Unit

Self‐administered medications in the postpartum wards: A study on satisfaction and perceptions

“…These positive results confirm that this program needs to stay a standard practice on our obstetrics and gynecology units. A high level of satisfaction was also found in previous reports evaluating SAM programs in postpartum wards . It is important to acknowledge that satisfaction measurement comprises many challenges, and that the very concept of satisfaction in health care is itself difficult to define .…”

“…This study also addressed medication use, pain relief, satisfaction, and understanding and drew similar conclusions than other studies . Most of the programs in the recently published reports contain drugs for analgesia and constipation . CHU Sainte‐Justine implemented its own SAM program in the postpartum wards in 2003, allowing mothers to self‐administer analgesics as well as constipation and hemorrhoids medications as needed.…”

“…The semistructured aspect of the questionnaire, which allow to gather comments from participants, helped in the qualitative analysis to evaluate satisfaction outcomes that were not covered by the Likert scale questions . In the qualitative analysis, women appreciated the autonomy and the ability to react rapidly at the onset of pain, which are elements also cited in previous reports on SAM programs in postpartum units . The SAM programs allow women to become more familiar with drug administration before returning home, where they will have to manage their medication on their own.…”

“…Postpartum self‐administration of analgesics has been described in obstetrics‐gynecology units as early as the 1950s and has been frequently implemented ever since. It has been implemented in hospitals in at least 3 countries . Several health care settings have published reports of their self‐administered medication (SAM) programs, showing positive results on the use of medications, pain relief, and nurses and users' satisfaction and understanding .…”

“…After the 2008 alert, the SAM program documentation was updated to help mothers and nurses to recognize early signs and symptoms of central and respiratory adverse events. Adverse drug effects were not assessed in previous studies in the context of SAM in postpartum . This is an important outcome to assess since concerns have been raised about safety of pain medication in breastfeeding woman.…”