Skill development of father and mother regarding skin care and oil massage of preterm neonates

Abstract

The skin of pretmature neonates require a special care as it is thin, the pH is low, and they lose more heat and water. Due to the increasing number of preterm births, the stable preterm babies get an early discharge early from the hospital. At home they require meticulous skin care for their survival and both father and mother are equally responsible for providing care to their preterm neonates. Henceforth it is essential to develop an evidence-based protocol and train both father and mother in the care of the preterm neonateTo develop a protocol and check its effectiveness in skill development of parents (father and mother) regarding skin care and oil massage of their preterm neonates admitted in Neonatal units, Nehru Hospital, PGIMER, ChandigarhNeonatal Nursery (NNN), Maternity ward, Nehru Hospital, PGIMER, Chandigarh. A quantitative research approach and operational design were selected. The study was conducted on 45 parents of 31 neonates selected using the total enumeration sampling technique. Protocol on the skin, eye, cord care and oil massage of preterm neonates was developed, validated, demonstration, and return demonstration were taken after the pretest. Observational checklists were used to assess the father and mother's skills in three-four consecutive observations. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Maximum 30(97%) mothers became skilled in the third observation; on the other hand, more fathers achieved skill by the fourth observation. Once all the father and mother achieved skill performance of 85-90%. The final return demonstration was taken on their preterm neonate. A significant improvement in skills scores of both fathers’ and mothers' was observed within and in between the subsequent observations.The research shows that there was a significant increase in the skills of father and mother. This shows that the operational study to develop a protocol and check its effectiveness in skill development of parents (father and mother) regarding skin care and oil massage of their preterm neonates was a success.