Maternal and Neonatal Outcome following Day Two versus Day Five or Seven Discharge after an Uncomplicated Elective Caesarean Section: A Randomized Control Study

BACKGROUND: In recent times, it has become a common practice to discharge a woman early after an uncomplicated caesarean section (CS), to satisfy their wishes, reduce cost, and maximize efficient use of healthcare system resources. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a comparative analysis of maternal and neonatal outcomes following day two hospital discharge versus day 5 or 7 discharge after an uncomplicated CS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible parturient (228) who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into two groups between 1(st) October 2018 and 30(th) September 2019 in two different maternity centers in Ebonyi state. The study group (114) was discharged two days after an uncomplicated CS while the control group (114) was discharged on the 5(th) or 7(th) postoperative day. Their satisfaction, cost, morbidities, and breastfeeding practices were evaluated using a pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22. RESULTS: Day 2 discharge was not associated with a higher rate of readmission as compared with day 5-7 discharge (χ(2) = 0.95, P = 0.329). There were no statistically significant differences in cost incurred by patients discharged on day 2 after uncomplicated CS compared to the control group (χ(2) = 1.65, P = 0.649). Maternal satisfaction was high following day 2 discharge compared with day 5-7 discharge (χ(2) = 16.64, P = 0.0001, OR = 0.857, 95%CI = 0.59–1.25). The majority of mothers (79.6%) discharged on day 2 were able to initiate and sustain breastfeeding with no statistically significant difference in the initiation and sustenance of breastfeeding with those discharged on days 5-7 (χ(2) = 4.45, P = 0.108). Early hospital discharge did not have any significant negative impact on neonatal health (χ(2) = 1.063, P = 0.303). CONCLUSION: Early discharge of patients after an uncomplicated CS is not associated with increased rate of readmission. It is associated with good maternal satisfaction, adequate initiation and sustenance of breastfeeding, and good neonatal wellbeing. We advocate early discharge of women following uncomplicated CS.