Midwives’ experiences of an organizational change in early postpartum care services in Norway: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION: The length of postpartum hospital stays is decreasing internationally. The ongoing organizational change from hospital to home-based postpartum care implies the promotion of family-centered care for healthy women, their babies and families. The aim of the study was to explore midwives’ experiences of an organizational change in early postpartum care services from hospital to home-based care in Norway. METHODS: Ten midwives participated in two separate focus-group interviews. Systematic Text Condensation (STC) was the method used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The midwives in the current study described that the organizational change in early postpartum care services from hospital to home-based care was characterized by: 1) unclear leadership, 2) increased continuity of care and professional growth, and 3) the midwives being solution-oriented. CONCLUSIONS: The midwives had both positive and negative experiences of an organizational change in early postpartum care services from hospital to home-based care in Norway. The study indicates a need for increased resources, training in new tasks and employees being more included when changes in midwifery practice are planned and implemented. The current study contributes knowledge of relevance to those planning to start home-based postpartum care, which may contribute to improving quality of care, employees’ satisfaction and prevent burnout.