TY - JOUR T1 - AWHONN postpartum discharge education: patient knowledge and sustainability JF - BMJ Open Quality JO - BMJ Open Qual DO - 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001528 VL - 11 IS - 4 SP - e001528 AU - Samantha de los Reyes AU - Dana Al-Khaled AU - Katherine Brito AU - Manizha Kholmatov AU - Brianna Farley AU - Melissa Kuriloff AU - Gayle Stamos AU - David Victorson AU - Beth Plunkett Y1 - 2022/11/01 UR - http://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/11/4/e001528.abstract N2 - Objective The objective is to evaluate whether the implementation of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) postpartum discharge educational initiative is associated with improved patient knowledge of warning signs of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and if the initiative is self-sustaining.Design A pre–post design was used to evaluate patient knowledge of warning signs of SMM (Plan–Do–Study–Act, PDSA cycle 1) and if the quality improvement initiative was self-sustaining (PDSA cycle 2). Patient understanding of warning signs of SMM prior to initiation of the AWHONN education (Usual Discharge) was compared with understanding of those who were discharged after implementation (POST-BIRTH discharge). The initiative was designed to be self-sustaining. The POST-BIRTH flyer describes nine warning signs of SMM. Eligible participants were English-speaking patients discharged with a live newborn who were able to be contacted within 2 weeks. Participants completed a telephone administered nine-item survey to assess knowledge of SMM. The primary outcome was the percentage of correct answers. To evaluate sustainability, whether the POST-BIRTH fliers and discharge checklist were still being used at 19 months postinitiative was planned.Results For PDSA cycle 1, in the Usual Discharge group, 347 patients were discharged, 164 (44.7%) were eligible and 151 (92.1%) completed the survey. In the POST-BIRTH discharge group, 268 patients were discharged, 199 (74.3%) were eligible and 183 (92.0%) completed the survey. Compared with the Usual Discharge group, the POST-BIRTH group had significantly more correct responses (30% vs 60%, p<0.001). In PDSA cycle 2, POST-BIRTH flyers were still being used universally on one of the two floors from which postpartum patients are discharged, but not the other.Conclusion The implementation of an educational initiative for postpartum patients is associated with improved knowledge of warning signs of SMM. The use of the education was self-sustaining on one discharge floor but not the other.Data are available on reasonable request. Deidentified participant data are available from the corresponding author by email on reasonable request. ER -