Maternal sleepiness and risk of infant drops in the postpartum period.
Bittle MD, Knapp H, Polomano RC, et al. Maternal Sleepiness and Risk of Infant Drops in the Postpartum Period. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2019;45(5):337-347. doi:10.1016/j.jcjq.2018.12.001.
This report of a quality improvement study of infant drop risk found that mothers who fall asleep holding infants are more likely to drop them. Nursing observations and formal assessments of mothers' sleepiness prevented infant drops from occurring. The authors recommend frequent observation and direct assessment of maternal sleepiness for postpartum wards.