Knowledge, attitudes and factors influencing the care of premature newborns among mothers at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2024

Abstract

Objective: Assess the knowledge and attitudes of mothers to care for premature infants at the National Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2024, and some factors related to mothers’ knowledge and attitudes. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 420 mothers of premature newborns preparing for discharge from the Neonatal care and treatment center from May 1, 2024 to August 1, 2024. The criteria for evaluating good knowledge is when the total score is ≥ 70%, which is equivalent to answering correctly 14 out of 20 questions. Poor knowledge is when the total score is < 70%, which is equivalent to answering correctly from 1 to 13 questions above. 20 sentences. Positive attitude is determined when the total score reaches ≥ 80%, equivalent to a score from 64 to 80 points. Data analysis used STATA 18.0 software with statistical significance level p < 0.05. Results: The study showed that the average knowledge score on caring for premature infants of mothers was 12.26 ± 1.82/20 maximum points, showing that knowledge of caring for premature infants at home is not good. The average care attitude score was 68.84 ± 3.48/maximum 80 points, reflecting the positive attitude of mothers to care for premature infants. Child birth order was found to be significantly related to care knowledge (p < 0.001), while occupation and age were related to care attitude (p < 0.05 and p < 0 ,01). Conclusion: It is necessary to implement health education programs to improve mothers’ knowledge and attitudes towards the care of premature infants and to assess the effectiveness of these programs to enhance the care process for premature newborns