Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice regarding Immediate Newborn Care in Maternity Ward of a Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: A newborn is thought to be small, helpless, and entirely reliant on others for survival. During the first hour of life, newborns are primarily susceptible to morbidity and mortality, which can be avoided with prompt care immediately after birth. The newborn care that is provided immediately after delivery is straightforward but crucial.  This aim of the study is finding out the nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding immediate newborn care.

Methods: A cross-sectional research design was carried out among 32 nurses. Consecutive sampling technique was used. The self–administered questionnaire was utilized to assess knowledge and observation checklist for assessing practice on immediate newborn care. The data was edited, coded and entered into excel then exported to SPSS 16 program.

Results: Findings revealed that 65.63 % nurses have average knowledge and 87.50 % nurses have average practice. Education, work experience and training were not significantly associated with the nurse’s knowledge and practice regarding immediate newborn care at 95 % confidence interval. However, there was positive correlation between knowledge and practice on immediate newborn care. 

Conclusion: The findings conclude that majority of the nurses have average knowledge and practice on immediate newborn care. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct continuing nursing education about immediate care to neonate for nurses in maternity ward periodically.