Abstract
Background: Premature infants can develop a range of problems because their immature organs. A proper nursing care for a premature baby should be established through good nursing performances. This study aimed to assess nurse's knowledge and practices regarding the care of a premature baby in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
 Methods: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study, with a systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data that reports a clear picture of a particular situation carried out by 72 eligible nurses who were a graduate in BSc., and had at least six months' experience at the time of the study.
 Result: The study showed that the percentage of nurse’s knowledge regarding care of premature; definition of preterm neonate 44.4%, nurses’ had poor knowledge, umbilical vessels: Two arteries &one vein 40.3 %, nurses’ had poor knowledge, and the percentage of nurses’ practices regarding care of premature baby; hand washing o 36.1 %, nurses’ have poor practice, so there were poor nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding care of premature baby.
Highlights
TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) defines a preterm birth as all births before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation or < 259 days since the last day of a woman’s menstrual period [1]
Of the 72 nurses participating in the study, about one-fifth (20.8%) stated that they needed training courses on continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP), and a minority (2.8%) of them stated that they needed courses on the care of preterm infants
About 68.1% of the study samples stated that a preterm baby is a baby born before 24 weeks of gestation, while only 5.6% knew it refers to a baby born before 40 weeks of gestation, which indicates the nurses’ low level of knowledge about the definition of preterm baby itself (Table 1)
Summary
TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) defines a preterm birth as all births before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation or < 259 days since the last day of a woman’s menstrual period [1]. Preterm birth has become a worldwide epidemic that is estimated at a global incidence of 15 million per year [2]. It is a major cause of death and a significant cause of long-term human loss worldwide. How to cite this article: Hammad Ali Fadlalmola and Amal Mohamed Elhusein (2020) “Nurse’s Knowledge and Practice on the Care of Preterm Infants at Khartoum State Hospitals,” Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences, vol 15, issue no. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too early compared with the 9% in the higher-income countries. This study aimed to assess nurse’s knowledge and practices regarding the care of a premature baby in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, we concluded that most of the nurses had relatively poor knowledge and practices about the aspects of premature care
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