Auditing preterm neonatal nutrition nursing care

Preterm neonatal nutrition nursing care is a key factor for increasing of chance of life, health and development of preterm neonates. Since, one of the responsibilities of neonatal nurses considered meeting neonatal nutritional needs that might be they are faced with many challenges.

The aim of this study was to investigate nursing care conformity rate with existing standards, regarding preterm neonatal nutrition.

In this descriptive study (400) preterm neonatal nutrition nursing care were observed and assessed. Data collected using a checklist included standard cares regarding to preterm neonatal nutrition, which was developed according to reviewing literature and existing standards. Content validity and inter rater coefficient reliability (ICC=0.95), were calculated for checklists. Data collection method was observation and documented all of nutritional nursing cares that carried out in NICU in 2012. These wards were in selected hospitals which affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Data analyzed by X2 and other statistical methods in (p<0.05).

Conformity rate of preterm neonatal nutrition nursing care in NICU wards of selected hospitals was evaluated (68.9 %). The most conformity rate with standards was evaluated in parenteral nutrition (76%) and then preparing parenteral nutrition solutions (68 %,) preparing enteral nutrition solutions (64/4%) and enteral nutrition (63%) respectively.

For diminishing the gap between nursing standards and current preterm neonatal nutrition nursing care in NICU wards applying clinical guideline in neonatal nutrition nursing care and clinical supervision by nurse managers for optimizing their implementation are suggested.