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Giving Birth, Going Home: Influences on when Low-Income Women Leave Hospital

Bronwen Lichtenstein

University of Alabama, USA, blichten{at}bama.ua.edu

Cynthia Brumfield

University of Alabama, USA

Suzanne Cliver

University of Alabama, USA

Victoria Chapman

University of Alabama, USA

Deanna Lenze

University of Alabama, USA

Valisia Davis

University of Alabama, USA

The US Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act of 1996 (‘The Two-Day Law’) mandates insurance coverage for women who have just given birth to remain in hospital for two days post-partum. However, many women are being discharged from hospital after 24 hours. To assess why early discharge is still occurring, a study of 406 new mothers was conducted at an urban metropolitan hospital in the USA. The women were aware of the new law (95%) but decision making was often relinquished to hospital authorities. Patients who stayed longer tended to be more assertive in decision making, and used the Two-Day Law as leverage in discussions about going home. The study concluded that the nurses were authoritative and often influential agents in the decision-making process, and that patients were likely to interpret specific interactions with hospital staff as a signal to leave.

Key Words: childbirth • low income • post-partum • women

Health:, Vol. 8, No. 1, 81-100 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1363459304038797
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