Postpartum interviews: factors affecting patients' learning and satisfaction.

BACKGROUND Interview setting and technique presumably alter efficacy of the postpartum interview. It is commonly believed that interviews are most effective when both parties are positioned at the same physical level. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that women's satisfaction and learning are improved when postpartum visits are conducted by pediatricians sitting in a chair rather than standing and are further improved when female pediatricians sit on the mother's bed. DESIGN Randomized double-blind study. SETTING University hospital newborn nursery. SUBJECTS Seventy-five mothers on their first postpartum day. Patients' postpartum interviews were conducted by physicians assigned randomly to (1) sitting on the edge of the bed near the mother's feet, (2) sitting in a chair near the side of the bed, or (3) standing at the foot of the bed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Within 60 minutes of completing the interview, an investigator (B.S.W.), blinded to physician position, asked each mother questions related to her satisfaction with the interview and the information that she was given. Differences among position groups were compared by means of 1-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis, chi2, or Fisher exact tests; P<.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS Potential confounding factors were similar among patients assigned to each of the 3 interview positions. The estimated duration of the interviews, the degree of satisfaction, and information retention were similar in each group. CONCLUSION Physicians need not make special efforts to conduct postpartum interviews in a seated position.