ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF NICU NURSES AND MIDWIVES IN NEONATAL RESUSCITATION IN FOUR URBAN HOSPITALS IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Introduction : Resuscitation with bag and mask is a high-impact intervention that can reduce neonatal deaths in resource-poor settings. The quality of resuscitation and stabilization of a neonate immediately after birth has significant effects on neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study was done to assess the knowledge of neonatal resuscitation among Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses and delivery ward midwives from select referral hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Method: Data were collected from 172 midwife and NICU nurses from four referral hospitals in urban Addis Ababa between January and June 2017. Knowledge related to newborn resuscitation were assessed using a structured questionnaire prepared for the study. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Result: Seventy-six percent (n=131) of respondents were female. Among all respondents, 89.0% self-reported adequate knowledge of neonatal resuscitation (answers knowledge question above 80. Fifty-eight percent (n=99) of respondents had resuscitated newborns in the hospital setting while the rest in the clinics.

Conclusion: Within this study population, NICU and delivery wards nurses had good knowledge about neonatal resuscitation; however, they have in particularly poor knowledge of airway management