This study was carried out to understand the nursing needs of postpartum women during the postpartum period. The goal of study was to obtain data needed to develop maternal education programs and to improve the nursing quality for postpartum women. A cross-sectional survey design was employed in this study. The subjects were 101 postpartum women who had delivery at 2 general hospitals in Chung-Buk, Korea. Data were collected from Sep. 29 to Nov. 28, 1997 by means of a structured questionnaire. The instrument used for this study was the one which was consisted of revised Maternal Concerns Questionnaire(MCQ) developed by Bull(1979). The data were analyzed through the SPSS/PC+ program by use of frequency, t-test and ANOVA.
The results of the study were as follows;
1) The mean score of concerns about ´self´ was 2.98 for primipara and 2.80 for multipara but was not statistically significant difference. Among the items of concerns ´for self´, ´Being good mothers´ was the highest (primipara 3.93, multipara 3.75).
2) The mean score of concerns about ´baby´ was 3.64 for primipara and 3.53 for multipara but was not statistically significant difference. Among the items of concerns ´for baby´, ´Normal growth and development´ was the highest (primipara 3.91, multipara 3.90).
3) The mean score of concerns about ´husband´ was 3.33 for primipara and 3.06 for multipara and was statistically significant difference(t=2.11, p=0.03). Among the items of concerns ´for husband´, ´Husband being a good father´ was the highest (primipara 3.87, multipara 3.77).
4) The mean score of concerns about ´family´ was 2.65 for primipara and 2.80 for multipara but was not statistically significant. Among the items of concerns ´for family´, ´Change in the family´s lifestyle´ was the highest(primipara 3.01, multipara 2.93, t=-1.99, p=0.04).
5) The mean score of concerns about ´community´ was 2.48 for primipara and 2.42 for multipara but was not statistically significant. Among the items of concerns ´for community´, ´Getting to health care facilities´ was the highest (primipara 2.48, multipara 2.42).
6) On considering the relationship between the postpartum women´s nursing needs and their general characteristics, ´regularly antenatal care´ was statistically significant(t=2.29, p=0.02).
In conclusion, recognition of maternal concerns can be used by nurses to identify nursing diagnoses and to develop care plans that reflect the patient´s priorities.
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