Enhancing bladder management for intrapartum/postpartum women at a maternity hospital in Taiwan: a best practice implementation project.

Introduction and aims: Voiding dysfunction is a common perinatal condition. Appropriate bladder management and monitoring during labor and postpartum improves bladder function and reduces the incidence of infections and complications. This project aimed to promote evidence-based bladder management strategies for perinatal women at a maternity hospital in Taiwan.

Methods: The project was implemented using the JBI framework and the JBI Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System. Implementation audits were conducted by examining nurses and intrapartum and postpartum women. Ten criteria were applied in the baseline audit, and two follow-up audits were conducted to assess actual compliance with best-practice recommendations. Through a Getting Research into Practice analysis, we identified three barriers to changing practice.

Results: A comparison of the audit outcomes revealed that all criteria had improved by the second follow-up audit cycle. Specifically, the compliance rate increased from 37% and 50% to 100% for criteria 1 and 2, respectively; from 0% to 100% for criteria 3, 5, and 10; and from 7%, 28%, 50%, and 17% to 100%, 100%, 97%, and 100% for criteria 4, 6, 8, and 9, respectively. Following implementation, the frequency of intrapartum intermittent catheterization (53.44-38.30%) and the postpartum incidence of urinary retention (9.09-8.51%) decreased. The time to first voiding after vaginal delivery and between the first and the second voiding decreased from 5.51 and 4.01 h to 2.32 and 2.29 h, respectively.

Conclusions: This evidence-based implementation project achieved substantial improvements in bladder management. Relational leadership theory, which integrates empowerment, purposefulness, ethical behaviors, and process orientation, underpinned the project.