Methodological Insights from Using a Mixed Methods Design in the Study of a Restorative Postnatal Hospital Environment

Abstract

The patient-centred practice is an essential component in healthcare and the hospital environment play a vital role in its actualisation. Additionally, the interior space of a hospital can affect our perception of pain, restoration and wellbeing. Women, who use hospitals for birth, require sleep and rest crucial for their recovery and wellbeing. The unconducive and unrestful situations in hospitals, especially within the postnatal hospital layouts impact on recovery experiences and wellbeing of the new mothers. The short hospital stay following the birth implies that women need an optimum environment that can facilitate the rest and recovery experience while in hospitals. Best and ideal restorative postnatal design features to facilitate the rest and recovery experience for postnatal women are unclear. This study utilised a mixed methods design as a likely effective way to understand the intricacies of short hospital stay, interactions of design layout and women’s wellbeing postnatally. This methodological paper aims to provide insights that may be beneficial to researchers combining questionnaire surveys and focus groups as techniques in the study of an ideal hospital environment for optimum postnatal care. The paper discusses the process for engaging the participants (postnatal women and midwives), their backgrounds and experiences of the postnatal space, especially in large, tertiary hospitals, and how their rich, multiple perspectives contribute to an understanding of a restorative postnatal hospital environment. Best practices regarding design features that could be beneficial to care givers for effective and quality postnatal care for women prior to going home are presented.