Connecting the Dots Between Inpatient Quality of Obstetric Recovery and Postpartum Depression: Are We Ready for a Cultural Shift?

( J Clin Anesth. 2024;96:111372 I. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinane.2023.111372 I) Enhanced recovery protocols have recently been developed to improve recovery after childbirth, focusing on minimizing maternal morbidity and pain following cesarean delivery. However, there is limited literature on the effort it takes to return to a healthy and normal standard in the postpartum period. The measurement of recovery quality is a new area of focus in the research and practice of obstetric anesthesia. Aspects such as postpartum discomfort, nausea, lightheadedness, shaking, ease, movement, capacity to care for the baby, self-care, and sense of empowerment all influence the quality of recovery during hospitalization. Pervez and colleagues developed a new survey called Obstetric Quality of Recovery (ObsQoR-10), which is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) used to evaluate recovery after vaginal and cesarean deliveries in hospital settings. Although numerous studies have assessed global PROMs for postpartum healing and screening tools for postpartum depression (PPD), there is still a lack of ideal measures for assessing outpatient recovery quality.