SynthesisBMJ open2019
Expectations and experiences of hospital postnatal care in the UK: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Barriers and Facilitators to Providing Women Postpartum Care by Health Care Providers in the First 12 Months After Childbirth: A Systematic Qualitative Meta-Aggregation Review.Journal of midwifery & women's healthPooled it
- Effect of postpartum clinical guideline on maternal outcomes in iranian women: a randomized controlled clinical trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Trial
- Can Flip-Chart Assisted Maternal Education Improve Essential New Born Care Knowledge and Skills? A Randomized Controlled Trial.Maternal and child health journal · 2022Trial
- Associations between formal social support in early postpartum, parenting self-efficacy, and parent-infant bonding: A cross-sectional survey.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Article
- Assessing first-time mothers' satisfaction with postnatal care services in Tamale Metropolis: using cross-sectional design.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Article
- Lived experiences on postnatal care among postpartum women in the Maldives: a phenomenological study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Evaluation of discharge training given by nurses to postpartum mothers to artificial intelligence: an alternative approach to health care.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- The experience of Family and Community Midwives in postnatal care: A qualitative study in Italy.European journal of midwifery · 2025Article
- A mixed methods study of the postnatal care journey from birth to discharge in a maternity service in New South Wales, Australia.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Article
- Australian Women's Experiences of Establishing Breastfeeding after Caesarean Birth.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Maternal Perspectives on and Preferences for an Enhanced Neonatal Jaundice Education Program: An Evaluation Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.Patient preference and adherence · 2024Article
- Unmet needs, limited access: A qualitative study of postpartum health care experiences of people with disabilities.Journal of advanced nursing · 2023Article
- Stakeholder's perspectives of postnatal discharge: a qualitative evidence synthesis.BMJ global health · 2023Review
- Ecological factors affecting first-time mothers' satisfaction with Sanhujoriwons (postpartum care centres) from South Korea: a cross-sectional and correlational study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Home-based postnatal midwifery care facilitated a smooth succession into motherhood: A Swedish interview study.European journal of midwifery · 2023Article
- Foreign-born women rated medical and emotional aspects of postnatal care higher than women born in Sweden: A quantitative comparative study.European journal of midwifery · 2023Article
- Positive postpartum well-being: What works for women.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- The Lived Experiences of Women without COVID-19 in Breastfeeding Their Infants during the Pandemic: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo report on women's and families' expectations and experiences of hospital postnatal care, and also to reflect on women's satisfaction with hospital postnatal care and to relate their expectations to their actual care experiences.
designSystematic review.
settingUK.
participantsPostnatal women. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Women's and families' expectations, experiences and satisfaction with hospital postnatal care.
methodsEmbase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL Plus), Science Citation Index, and Social Sciences Citation Index were searched to identify relevant studies published since 1970. We incorporated findings from qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies. Eligible studies were independently screened and quality-assessed using a modified version of the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for quantitative studies and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative studies. Data were extracted on participants' characteristics, study period, setting, study objective and study specified outcomes, in addition to the summary of results.
resultsData were included from 53 studies, of which 28 were quantitative, 19 were qualitative and 6 were mixed-methods studies. The methodological quality of the included studies was mixed, and only three were completely free from bias. Women were generally satisfied with their hospital postnatal care but were critical of staff interaction, the ward environment and infant feeding support. Ethnic minority women were more critical of hospital postnatal care than white women. Although duration of postnatal stay has declined over time, women were generally happy with this aspect of their care. There was limited evidence regarding women's expectations of postnatal care, families' experience and social disadvantage.
conclusionWomen were generally positive about their experiences of hospital postnatal care, but improvements could still be made. Individualised, flexible models of postnatal care should be evaluated and implemented. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017057913.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.