Competing demands in postpartum care: a national survey of U.S. providers’ priorities and practice

Table 2 Cohen’s d of Importance-Rank Difference for Postpartum Care Categories

Categories	Importance Mean (SD)^a	Frequency Mean (SD)^b	Cohen’s d^c
Clinical Elements
C-section birth complications	4.51(.73)	4.70(.68)	0
Vaginal birth complications	4.47(.77)	4.74(.64)	0
Pregnancy-related complications	4.32(.80)	4.57(.75)	.1
Chronic health conditions	3.76(.91)	3.98(.93)	.1
Transitioning to primary care	3.39(1.17)	3.33(1.35)	.1
Physical/pelvic exam	3.28(1.10)	4.08(1.05)	.7^d
Behavioral
Depression	4.78(.41)	4.90(.46)	.1
Intimate partner violence	4.32(.78)	3.90(1.05)	.6
Substance use	4.19(.88)	3.78(1.17)	.5
Smoking	4.13(.85)	4.01(1.11)	.2
Maternal sleep	3.98(.81)	3.92(.99)	.2
Diet and weight trajectory	3.53(.92)	3.62(.97)	0
Family planning
Family planning counsel	4.63(.61)	4.89(.49)	.2
Contraceptive provision	4.52(.68)	4.59(.81)	.1
Resuming sexual activity	3.96(.85)	4.70(.65)	.8^d
Infant Health
Breast health, breastfeeding and other infant feeding issues	4.45(.71)	4.66(.66)	.1
Infant safe sleep	3.70(1.10)	3.38(1.30)	.3

^a Importance scale ranged from “1 = not at all” to “5 = extremely,” with a midpoint of “3 = moderately.”
^b Frequency scale ranged from “1 = never” to “5 = always,” with a midpoint of “3 = sometimes.”
^c Cohen’s d calculations were performed on differences between importance and frequency on normalized scales. Medium (Cohen’s d values > .5) or Large (Cohen’s d values > .8) differences highlighted in bold.
^d Indicates element is performed more frequently than it is prioritized.

ISSN: 1472-6963