Understanding care plans in a psychiatric mother-baby unit

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Care plans outline collaborative goals and strategies for recovery. While care planning is recommended across international mental health guidelines, scant attention has examined the unique nature of care planning within psychiatric mother-baby units. This retrospective audit aims to explore the content of care planning goals, compare against the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), and devise a care plan framework to support development of admission goals.

Methodology

A total of 63 care plans across admission, mid-admission and discharge were analysed. Using deductive content analysis, care plan goals were compared to the WHO ICF codes. Inductive content analysis was used to generate a framework for care plans.

Results

When compared to the WHO ICF codes, care plans were most commonly coded against d570 (looking after one’s health) and d7600 (parent-child relationships). Care plans covered six main themes: mental health recovery, physical health, connecting with baby, caring for baby, relationships, and community supports.

Discussion

This study is the first to examine the nature of recovery goals in care plans within a mother-baby unit. The results inform a framework to support care planning and thereby facilitate holistic well-being and recovery for a mother with mental illness.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• inpatient mother-baby unit
• care planning
• recovery goals
• community support
• perinatal

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the staff at the Lavender Mother-Baby Unit for their support in the project, including Dr Susan Roberts, Hollie Hurst, Aleshia Ellis, Linda Parlato, Miranda McLean, Rachelle Arnott, Rebecca Curtain, Snehal Parmar, Stacey Horomia, Catherine Finnerty, Annalise Parusel, Kim Bignell, Melissa Banks, Michelle Summers, Nicola Armes, Penny Fisher, Shannon Mahony, Jessica Saul, Erin Kelly, Holly Grearson, Erin Hellewell and Georgia Burkinshaw.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).