Women’s Views of Postnatal Care and Evaluation of an Intervention of Postnatal Home Visits in Greece (Published)
A mixed method case control study was conducted to investigate an intervention of postnatal home visits and women’s perceptions and satisfaction of their care postpartum in Greece. In total 24 women participated in the study who delivered in the maternity unit of a public general hospital in Southern Greece. Of the participants 12 mothers had the standard postnatal care and 12 received, in addition, home visits as part of their postnatal care. Postnatal home visits are not usually provided by the National Health Service in Greece. The aim of this study was to examine the respondents’ views and needs in order provide better care for future clients. The women were interviewed 40 days after birth. The main issues that emerged were support from health professionals, support from the husband & family, physical & psychological health of the mother, care of the newborn and financial difficulties. Women were also given a self administered questionnaire to complete after the interview. The women who had home visits rated professional support significantly higher than the control group, t-test p=0.039. Future planning of health services should include the choice for new mothers to receive postnatal home visits.
Keywords: Greece, Health promotion, Home Visits, Postpartum Period