For postpartum mothers in the hospital, disrupted sleep is the norm. After restless nights of broken slumber, early to mid morning is often when they catch up on the shuteye they've missed. Unfortunately, that's often the time that physicians wake them up with various questions as part of their morning rounds.
In a new study to be presented Feb. 6 at the annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting in Atlanta, researchers will outline why there's good reason to reconsider the timing of these disruptive rounds: They impact patient satisfaction.
After dividing 152 postpartum patients into two groups, one with rounds between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. and another with rounds after 8 a.m., researchers found that the group that received delayed rounds were more satisfied with their overall hospital experience. They reported better communication with physicians, as well.
"This simple study indicates that physicians should be more cognizant of the hours they perform their rounds with healthy postpartum patients," Robyn P. Roberts, MD, a University of Texas Medical School at Houston researcher, said in a statement in advance of the Feb. 6 presentation. "By just moving rounds later in the morning, patient satisfaction can be significantly improved."