NURSING CARE IN THE IMMEDIATE POSTPARTUM PERIOD: PREVENTION OF MATERNAL COMPLICATIONS
Keywords:
Postpartum Period; Nursing Care; Postpartum Hemorrhage; Pregnancy Complications; Maternal HealthAbstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/gt.v9i17.0331
Abstract
The immediate postpartum period constitutes the first 24 hours after delivery, representing the most critical period for maternal monitoring given that 45% of postpartum maternal deaths occur during this time. Scientific evidence indicates that the main complications include postpartum hemorrhage, which affects 1–10% of all births globally, hypertensive disorders, and puerperal infections. Ecuador presents significant disparities in maternal mortality, ranging from 19.1 to 142.2 per 100,000 live births between provinces, and indigenous women show a 9.59 times greater risk of in-hospital mortality. The objective of the study was to characterize nursing care in the immediate postpartum period for the prevention of maternal complications, identifying the most effective evidence-based interventions, evaluating their effectiveness in reducing specific complications, and analyzing their applicability to the Ecuadorian context. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, searching PubMed, SciELO, and Scopus for studies published between 2021 and 2025 in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Primary studies evaluating nursing interventions in the immediate postpartum period were included, excluding those focused exclusively on the antepartum period or those with a high risk of bias. Finally, seventeen studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The results show that the most effective interventions include vital sign monitoring every fifteen to thirty minutes during the first two hours, ongoing education on warning signs and self-care, application of the MAMÁ Score for early detection of complications, accurate bleeding quantification, systematic bimanual compressions, antibiotic prophylaxis during cesarean section, depression screening with validated scales, and immediate skin-to-skin contact, which increases early breastfeeding by 47%. Applicability to the Ecuadorian context requires culturally adapted programs, intercultural communication training, telemedicine for rural areas, and standardization using NANDA-NOC-NIC taxonomies, taking into account documented regional and ethnic disparities.
Keywords: Postpartum Period; Nursing Care; Postpartum Hemorrhage; Pregnancy Complications; Maternal Health.
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