Shorten maternity stays in hospital by half a day, says KCE

According to the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), if post-natal care is reorganised, women could leave hospital sooner after giving birth. KCE was reacting to the new federal budget for medical insurance, which was approved on Tuesday.

According to the new legislations, hospital stays for births without complications, now four to five days, will be shortened by half a day. “A shorter stay after a normal birth is medically responsible,” the centre said in a statement. “Care after the birth should be focused on home care rather than on hospital care.”

KCE suggested that future parents be given a care plan and a care co-ordinator to from the pregnancy to a few days after leaving the maternity department. To ensure a smooth transition from hospital professionals, like gynaecologists and GPs, to home care providers,  KCE proposed a “shared maternity dossier”. The centre also said that more attention should be paid to the profession of midwife.

“Integrated post-natal care, which takes place more at home and less in the hospital, not only increases the quality of care but also decreases the costs,” concluded KCE.

In Belgium, new mothers stay on average longer in maternity wards than in other Western countries. The average stay in OECD countries is three days. In the UK, mothers go home on average one-and-a-half days after the birth.

photo: ingimage