Survey on the Programs of Sanhujori Centers in Korea as the Traditional Postpartum Care Facilities

ABSTRACT

Sanhujori is the term used for the traditional Korean concept of non-professional postpartum care after delivery or abortion. Recently, postpartum care has been transferred to facilities appropriately named Sanhujori centers. This study investigates the programs offered at Sanhujori centers in order to understand the effects of this new type of health care delivery system on postpartum care. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted that included twenty-seven centers. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews followed by telephone interviews conducted from May first until the eighteenth of 2001. The findings permitted description of the general characteristics of Sanhujori centers. Programs for physical recovery, psychosocial recovery, postpartum education, parents-infant bonding, and baby care were analyzed and discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Postpartum
• postpartum program
• postpartum women
• Sanhujori