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Feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of family-led postnatal care model: a multisite mixed study in Ada’a District, Ethiopia

bmjph · 2026-05-12 · canonical JSON source

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Introduction Family-led postnatal care is a self-care innovation designed to support mothers and newborns during the first week after birth. In the model, midwives invited family members to attend discharge counselling and demonstration on how to assess the mother and newborn using pictorial checklist. Families were provided with the checklist and guidance on retrieving a home care kit containing a blood pressure monitor, thermometer and health-education booklet from a volunteer community custodian. Families used the checklist and kit at home to assess the health of the mother and newborn for 6 days and then returned the completed checklist and kit to the custodian. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of the family-led postnatal care model.Methods An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was conducted in post-intervention between February and April 2023 in four health centres and their catchment areas in Ada’a District, Oromia, Ethiopia. The study drew on a cross-sectional survey, review of facility registers and implementation checklists, and qualitative interviews. The quantitative component included 110 women who had recently given birth. The qualitative component included interviews with postpartum women, husbands/partners, family members, midwives/nurses, health extension workers, home care kit custodians and health managers (n=88). Descriptive analysis using frequency and proportion was computed. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results Participants at facility and community levels felt that family-led postnatal care was feasible and acceptable due to the easy-to-use materials for varied literacy levels, its influence on spouses/partners and families to support mothers, and its empowerment of women to recognise signs that require care-seeking. All health centres continued the family-led postnatal care model, and 97% of kits were functional 6 months after the end of project support.Conclusions Our results indicate that family-led postnatal care is a promising approach that can be tested in other settings.Trial registration number NCT05563974.