Maternity services and the discharge process: A review of practice in Queensland

Abstract

Research indicates that early parenting can be overwhelming and difficult (Nelson, 2003; Schmied et al., 2010) and yet the transition between hospital-based maternity care and community-based child and family health services has received little attention. Despite universal access to community-based child and family health services in Queensland, the effectiveness of those services is limited by inadequate transfer and referral processes (Brodribb et al., 2012). The fragmentation of services may have a significant negative impact during a vulnerable time for women and families (Homer et al., 2009, p. 65)..