Happier new moms thanks to quiet time at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center

Program initiated as part of nurse research fellowship project

Routine hospital procedures such as checking the vitals, educating the patient, getting those blood tests and menu orders and even the very well-meaning visitors who overstay their welcomes… all that stops for a few hours of quiet time for moms, their partners and their new babies at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.

A research study by Holy Cross nurse Christen Lawrie, with help from colleagues Martha E. F. Highfield, Ph.D, and Sherri Mendelson Ph.D, found patient satisfaction increased, bonding time is valued and the decline in interruptions may increase breastfeeding rates. Nurses said the break from 1 to 3 p.m. each day also gave them uninterrupted time to complete their paperwork.

The goal of the study was to determine if breast-feeding and patient satisfaction would benefit from a designated two-hour daily quiet time for mothers with normal deliveries. The result was a 31 percent decline in total interruptions and a 37.2 percent increase in patient satisfaction for postpartum patients.

The three nurses cautioned that their sample was small and in a single setting. Among their takeaways was the realization that it takes some education throughout hospital services to ensure interruptions – except in emergencies – are scheduled around quiet time.

Providence Holy Cross, which delivers an average of about 300 babies a month, is a Magnet® Hospital, a designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet® Hospital nursing staffs rank among the top 8 percent of hospital nurses across the nation for quality. To qualify, hospitals meet rigorous standards, including the implementation and support for nurse research projects aimed at continually improving care at the bedside.