Knowledge of mothers about post-discharge newborn care

Background and Mothers’ knowledge of newborn care can significantly affect the neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted on parturient mothers to assess their knowledge about post discharge newborn care.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 mothers who gave birth in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Iran, in 2015. A questionnaire was used, which consisted of 27 multiple-choice questions regarding mother’s knowledge of basic neonatal care, breast feeding and proper nutrition, neonatal jaundice monitoring and care, and umbilical cord care. A score of one was given to each correct answer. Descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, t-test, analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data.
The mean maternal age was 27.74±5.63 years. The mean knowledge score of the mothers was 16.96±3.47 (range: 4 to 23). A direct correlation was found between mothers’ age and their knowledge scores (r=0.1 , P=0.02). The mean overall score of employed mothers was higher than housewives (18.39±3.27 vs. 16.77±3.46, P=0.036). In covariance analysis, the mothers’ education level (P Mothers’ knowledge of newborn care was not at optimal level, which might put the newborns at risk. A comprehensive maternal educational program should be established to train all mothers on newborn care both before and after the parturition.