title: Barriers to skin-to-skin care during the postpartum stay.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine both mothers' and nurses' understanding of barriers to skin-to-skin care (SSC) during the postpartum hospital stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mixed-method study including surveys and focus groups with both nurses working in a postpartum unit, and mothers who had recently given birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen nurses and 15 mothers completed surveys. Survey questions related to beliefs about SSC as well as perceived barriers and were drawn from the literature. Additionally, several focus groups with nurses and one focus group with new mothers explored attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to SSC, barriers, and potential interventions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All nurses indicated that SSC was important for both mothers and infants, and identified perceived barriers to the practice. By a large margin, visitors in the patient room and others wanting to hold the baby were the most frequently cited barriers to SSC. Most nurses believed that mothers were unaware of the benefits of SSC and did not spend enough time SSC, yet most mothers said that they were aware of the importance of SSC and that they had spent enough time SSC. Barriers most often identified by mothers were visitors in the room, other people wanting to hold the baby, and safety concerns related to feeling groggy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Identifying barriers to SSC and intervening to reduce them may have implications for both maternal role development and breastfeeding success, thus positively impacting long-term health of mother and child. Studies such as this should be conducted with other populations in other centers.
authors: Debi Ferrarello is Director of Family Education, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. She can be reached via e-mail at Debi.Ferrarello@uphs.upenn.edu Linda Hatfield is Director of Research and Evidence-Based Practice, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Evidence-Based Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
authors: Debi
authors: D
authors: Ferrarello
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: Hatfield
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D016389:Maternal-Child Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D008873:Mid-Atlantic Region; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*