Effectiveness of an Empowering Nurses Program on Educating Mothers for Neonatal Respiratory Management

Nurses' empowerment in educating mothers to take care of infants at discharge is a critical issue that prevents potential adverse consequences and re-admissions. This study examined the effectiveness of an empowering nurses’ program in educating mothers about neonatal respiratory management.

Two before-after quasi-experimental studies were conducted simultaneously in the neonatal intensive care unit of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Isfahan City, Iran, in 2017. Nurses were selected by convenience sampling, and their performance in educating mothers was assessed before and after the program with validated checklists. Simultaneously, two mothers (n=70) groups were assessed for their knowledge and practice of neonatal respiratory management before and after the intervention.

Nurses' performance was significantly higher after intervention (76.0±7.4) compared to before (17.3±8.5; p<0.001). Also, mean scores of mothers' knowledge and practice were significantly (p<0.001) higher at discharge time in the second group of mothers (75.4±10.1 and 91.4±9.7, respectively), compared to the first group (16.1±6.7 and 24.7±22.2, respectively).

Implementation of an empowerment program in mothers' education concerning respiratory management of premature neonates with respiratory distress during the days of admission and presentation of educational materials in the form of simulation by nurses in the post-interventional period have positive effects on mothers’ knowledge and practice in the care of their neonates from discharge until a week later.