Postnatal Debriefing After Adverse Obstetric Events

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Psychological Trauma, Obstetric Labor Complications, Postpartum Period

In brief

Adverse or unexpected obstetric events can negatively affect women's psychological well-being and childbirth experience, increasing the risk of postpartum traumatic stress. However, structured postnatal debriefing is not routinely implemented in clinical practice, and evidence regarding its effectiveness remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a structured postnatal debriefing conducted within the first 24 hours after childbirth in women who have experienced an adverse or unexpected obstetric event. This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study will include two consecutive groups: a control group receiving usual postpartum care during the pre-implementation phase and an intervention group receiving structured postnatal debriefing during the implementation phase. The primary outcome is childbirth-related trauma at 6 weeks postpartum. Secondary outcomes include birth satisfaction, early post-traumatic stress symptoms, satisfaction with information and emotional support received after childbirth, and clinical maternal and neonatal outcomes. This study will provide evidence on whether structured postnatal debriefing improves psychological outcomes and contributes to more patient-centered obstetric care.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07579273

Run by

Parc de Salut Mar

People needed

142

Starts

2026-10-01

Expected to finish

2029-01-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-25

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Women aged 18 years or older.
• Women who have experienced an adverse or unexpected obstetric event during labor or the immediate postpartum period.
• Admitted to the maternity unit of Hospital del Mar and clinically stable within the first 24 hours postpartum.
• Able to understand and communicate in Spanish, Catalan, or English.
• Willing to participate and able to provide written informed consent.
• Access to an email account for follow-up assessments.

You may not qualify if…

• Inability to communicate verbally.
• Maternal-neonatal separation due to social reasons.
• Unstable or severe psychiatric condition.
• Immediate perinatal loss (intrapartum fetal death or early neonatal death).
• Admission to intensive care within the first 24 hours postpartum.

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.