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A qualitative comparison of experiences of specialist mother and baby units versus general psychiatric wards
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Griffiths, J., Taylor, B. L., Morant, N., Bick, Debra, Howard, L. H., Seneviratne, G. and Johnson, S. (2019) A qualitative comparison of experiences of specialist mother and baby units versus general psychiatric wards. BMC Psychiatry, 19 . 401. doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2389-8 ISSN 1471-244X.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2389-8
Abstract
Background:
Mother and baby units (MBUs) are an inpatient mental health service where women experiencing acute severe postpartum psychiatric difficulties can be admitted with their babies. They are currently viewed as best practice in the UK and elsewhere. However, as service provision is fragmented, some women residing in areas without MBUs are admitted to acute general psychiatric wards without their infants. This study aimed to compare qualitatively experiences of these two service types from the perspectives of women and clinicians.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen women who received treatment for perinatal mental health problems on a general psychiatric ward and/or MBU in England. Two focus groups were also conducted, one with MBU staff (n = 11) and one with acute ward staff (n = 6). Data were analysed thematically.
Results:
Women generally preferred being co-admitted with their baby to an MBU over lone admission to a general psychiatric ward. Women and clinicians felt that MBUs provided more perinatally-focused, family-centred care, and were better-equipped to meet women’s needs. General wards were reported by women and staff to lack the necessary facilities and expertise to support perinatal women adequately, while separation of mothers and babies was often experienced by women as traumatic and detrimental to recovery. However, some areas for improvement were also identified across both service types, particularly relating to difficulties transitioning home post-discharge, inadequate support for family members, staffing issues and access problems (with MBUs).
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that specialist perinatal inpatient care is considered preferable to generic care in the perinatal period from both service user and staff perspectives. Increased collaboration between perinatal and non-perinatal services could help improve perinatal expertise on general psychiatric wards, while further expansion of perinatal services (e.g. to cater for women currently considered too high risk for MBUs and for those discharged from inpatient settings) could tackle other shortfalls in care.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Clinical Trials Unit Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School |
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| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Maternal health services , Hospitals -- Maternity services , Mother and infant -- Services for, Mother and infant -- Medical care, Pregnant women -- Mental health, Postpartum depression | ||||||||||||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | BMC Psychiatry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher: | BioMed Central Ltd. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ISSN: | 1471-244X | ||||||||||||||||||
| Official Date: | 16 December 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Article Number: | 401 | ||||||||||||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12888-019-2389-8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||||||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 17 December 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 20 December 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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