Nursing interventions for patients with postpartum psychosis hospitalized in a psychiatric mother-baby unit

Abstract
Introduction: Postpartum psychosis is one of the severest psychiatric disorders to occur in the postpartum period. If it requires a woman’s admission, a psychiatric mother baby unit is recommended, where care will focus on the mother’s health, the mother-baby dyad, and their next of kin. To date, few studies have examined nursing interventions for patients with postpartum psychosis.
Aim: Identifying nursing interventions used at a psychiatric mother baby unit, when a patient is hospitalized with postpartum psychosis.
Method: A qualitative design using thematic analysis. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews (N=13) with expert nurses working at such a unit.
Results: The analysis identified three themes: 1. Treatment of the mental disorder, which involves interventions to improve the mother’s mental and physical wellbeing; 2. Care for the mother-baby dyad, which involves interventions intended to promote safe interactions between mother and baby; and 3. Care for the partner, which involves interventions to improve the partner’s wellbeing.
Discussion: Overall, within each of these themes, nurses described the urgency to tailor interventions to the needs of the patient, baby and partner.
Implications to practice: Our comprehensive description of interventions can be used for the improvement of nursing care for patients hospitalized with postpartum psychosis.