Positive results in trial for shorter maternity stay in Belgian hospitals

Positive results in trial for shorter maternity stay in Belgian hospitals
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A majority of new mothers said they were satisfied after their experience in a pilot project looking to shorten the length of maternity stays in Belgian hospitals after birth, according to a report by the federal health services published on Thursday.

The report looks into the first two years of the pilot project, which started in 2016 in a number of hospitals across the country including in Brussels' Erasme Universitair Ziekenhuis hospitals.

"Shorter stays appear to be well integrated into the usual habits of all those concerned," the report reads, adding that over 80% of the women who participated were glad to have participated in the project.

Mothers participating in the trial were released earlier from the hospital and received care at home administered by midwives.

The pilot project was launched following figures that showed that the average stay in hospitals after birth was longer in Belgium than in neighbouring European countries, according to the report.

The women who participated in the trial test remained in the hospital one day and a half less than the current average stay, which is of around four days.

According to the report's findings, "fewer mothers stay in the hospital with their children during a uselessly long period and instead receive appropriate care at home."

During the pilot project's third year, a mother can be released from the hospital between 24 and 72 hours after a natural birth and between 24 and 96 hours after cesarean delivery.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times


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