Literature Review

This is my PICOT Proposal question: In postpartum women and their healthy term newborns, does an extended 7-day inpatient hospital stay, compared to the standard discharge of 24 to 48 hours, reduce the current 5% neonatal readmission rate and the need for early outpatient clinic visits within the first 30 days?

This was my project purpose: Purpose:

• The primary purpose of this project is to evaluate if our current ‘fast-track’ discharge model is actually the most efficient for families.
• See if staying for the full first week allows us to bundle essential carelike the mandatory 48-hour jaundice check and weight monitoringinto one seamless inpatient experience.

Significance of the Capstone Project:

Currently, about 5% of all healthy newborns are readmitted to the hospital shortly after birth. This is often due to jaundice or dehydrationissues that peak after the mother is already home.

This capstone project is significant because represents a fundamental shift in how we define success at hospital discharge. Rather than prioritizing discharge efficiency, the focus moves to functional readiness ensuring that both the newborn and family are truly prepared for safe care beyond the hospital setting.

Implementation Plan:

• We would start with a Needs Assessment to identify which families benefit most from an extended stay. We would then develop a 7-Day Postpartum Wellness Pathway, which is a structured clinical schedule of care for that first week.
• Perform a Cost-Benefit Analysis. While a 7-day stay costs more upfront, we believe it will save money in the long run by preventing expensive readmissions and improving long-term maternal health.

By rethinking the postpartum care timeline allows us to move from a reactive model, where we respond to illness and ER readmissions, to a proactive model that anticipates risk and intervenes early. Keeping mother and baby together in a supportive clinical environment during the first week postpartum may be the key to improving outcomes, reducing readmissions, and supporting a healthier start for families.

****I’ve attached the previous coursework to start this project and the other attachment is the continuation Literature Review for this project****

Instruction

• Write a 5-6 page (not including the title and reference pages)
• APA-formatted paper with an introduction and conclusion
• APA headings for each section of the paper
• At least 5 peer-reviewed references

Step 1: Capstone Project

• Write a thorough literature review paper

Step 2: Consider

• Subheadings (Themes Discovered In Review)
• Notice Of Gaps In Knowledge
• At least 5 references within 5 years and peer-reviewed.