Abstract
Parenteral nutrition is a lifesaving therapy for many infants who are unable to tolerate enteral feedings. It fulfils preterm neonates' needs for growth and development when their sizes or conditions preclude enteral feeding. Virtuous nursing care and close biochemical monitoring are absolutely essential for successful parenteral nutrition therapy. Since poor knowledge in parenteral nutrition can causes severe impairment to neonatal infants, the conduction of this study is essential. The present study aims to: (1) examine the knowledge and practice of nurses in total parenteral nutrition (TPN); (2) employ training programs for improving knowledge and practice in management of TPN in new-borns. A quasi-experimental study was carried out in Sarem Maternity Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The study population included nurses working in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who were included in the study using headcount census method (n=30). A two-part questionnaire including demographic information; 20 multiple choice questions on the nurses' knowledge of TPN therapy and 19-item 3-point Likert-type checklist on administration of TPN completed by observing the nurses' practice. To examine the reliability of the practice part, Cronbach's alpha method was used (α=0.78). Study interventions were mentoring education by the researcher and researcher-developed training manual and educational video and guidelines about neonatal parenteral nutrition. Before and after intervention data were collected and compared using paired t-test. The mean scores of nurses' knowledge before and afterward parenteral nutrition (PN) training program were 11.93±1.91 and 17.56±1.59, respectively. The mean scores of the nurses' practice earlier and after training program were 38.84±2.96 and 40.15±3.02, respectively. Comparing the mean scores of the nurses' familiarity, before and after taking the training course, demonstrated a significant difference (p<0.0001). The knowledge of the nurses in all areas of parenteral nutrition prescription was significantly improved after the employment of mentoring method (p<0.05). Despite an increase in the post-intervention total score, the nurses' practice, before and after, the intervention was not statistically significant (p<0.05). There is a breach between nursing knowledge and practice in prescribing parenteral nutrition. The gap between knowledge and practice in this area can lead to more morbidity and negative influences on the infant. Therefore, it is required that the gap between knowledge and practice is known as the infant gets less damage.
Highlights
Parenteral nutrition is a lifesaving therapy for many infants who are unable to tolerate enteral feedings
The present study aims to: (1) examine the knowledge and practice of nurses in total parenteral nutrition (TPN); (2) employ training programs for improving knowledge and practice in management of TPN in new-borns
The study population included nurses working in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who were included in the study using headcount census method (n=30)
Summary
Parenteral nutrition is a lifesaving therapy for many infants who are unable to tolerate enteral feedings. Newborn infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), mainly the frail and premature newborns whom are often in need of effective nutritional support These needs are frequently met by the administration of PN, especially during the early stages of life. The nutrient level of preterm neonates, the extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants, is rarely adequate to meet their needs (Olsen, Richardson, Schmid, Ausman, & Dwyer, 2002). As a result, these newborn infants will suffer from serious nutritional deficiencies during post-birth stages (Shamsuddin, 2003). TPN is globally used for infants under 1,500 grams or infants with surgical complications caused by congenital or acquired diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis (Clark et al, 2003)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.