Effects of Education on Midwifery Student's Knowledge and Skill in Neonatal Resuscitation

Passing through intrauterine phase to the extra uterine world is probably the most risky event in everybody’s life. About 1% of them need advanced cardiac life support to continue life. By implementing professional methods of resuscitation, the prognosis will improve more than one million neonatal deaths annually. This study was designed to assess the effect of education on midwifery students’ neonatal resuscitation knowledge and skill. In this interventional (pretest and posttest design) study, 81 midwifery students participated. The data was collected using a questionnaire for assessing knowledge and a check list for skill evaluation. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire and the check list were approved before data collection. Our findings showed that all students’ level of knowledge was weak to moderate before education while it turned into good after education. Mean knowledge score before education was 24.46 which increased to 29.34 after education. Skill related mean score before and after education was 13.83 and 91.75, respectively. Comparison between knowledge and skill related scores showed significant difference before and after education (p=0.003 and p=0.0001 respectively). Midwifery students’ knowledge and skill in neonatal resuscitation was low before education and there was a significant difference in mentioned items before and after education. Considering the effect of resuscitation in decreasing neonatal death index, implementation of scientific and practical education using developed techniques and tools is necessary.