Knowledge and practice in nutritional care of nurces at National hospital of Pediatries

Abstract

Objective: To describe knowledge and practice in nutritional care of nurses at National Hospital of Pediatrics. Subjects and methods: descriptive study of 199 nurses in 11 clinical departments by using a questionnaire to get information on nursing knowledge about nutrition, basic diet by age group, performance of nursing practice for pediatric nutrition. Results: Only 25.6 % of nurses have full understanding of the basic nutrition of patients. Most nurses understand the number of meals needed for children by age group (77%), and those nurses who have the knowledge of the energy needs of the child by age group account for only 32.2%. The nursing nutritional care of is not adequately known by nurses: knowing about patients weighing (78.9 %), requesting food portions (37.2%), providing health counseling (85.9%), reminding patients with adherence to diet during treatment (60.3%). Conclusions: Awareness and knowledge of nurses about nutrition for patients mainly focuses on the needs of meal quantity for children by age group. Nutritional practices (weighing, requesting food portions, counseling, remind diet adherence) for patients are not effectively conducted.