Abstract

This study title “assessment of nurses knowledge in the care of preterm babies at Regional hospital Buea and Limbe respectively, and it was carried out from January 2022 to March 2022,

 Objectives: “To assess Nurses knowledge in the care of preterm babies” this study was carried out because preterm birth is a sensitive that is relatively poses a threat to the maternal and fetal health forum and this situation merit attention because of the host of danger it present to both mother and baby

METHOD: it was a quantitative cross sectional study carry out the regional hospital Buea and Limbe with sample size of 132 nurses was chosen using a convenient`  sampling technique and data was analyzed using Microsoft excel 2010 and results presented using bar charts, pie charts and tables

RESULTS The results of the study show that With regards  specific objective one of this research, it can be concluded that, Nurses had adequate knowledge on the characteristics of preterm babies as the majority that is`85(64%) said perterm baby is a baby born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy

Based on specific objective two, it can be concluded that most of the respondent 76(57.8%) had no knowledge on the on the normal body temperature of preterm and the cause of temperature loss in preterm babies.

Based on specific objective three it can be concluded that, 45(34%) of the problems faced by nurse in doing their work is the absence of trained staff.

RECOMMENDATION: we recommend the health facilities to ensure that regular training and retraining are organized for staff.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction:

This chapter is focused on the background, statement of the problems, objectives, and specific objectives, research questions, significance of study, justification of study, scope of study and operational definition of terms.

1.1 Background of study

French physicians introduced the closed infant incubator in the 1880s in response to governmental mandates to decrease the overall dismal French infant mortality rate. (Politicians feared the lack of sufficient soldiers for future wars) (Karen, 1984). In Europe, displays of premature infants in their incubators began appearing in the late nineteenth century at national fairs and exhibitions.

Dr. Martin Couney brought the shows to the United States in the late 1890s, and they continued until the 1940s (Baker, 1979).The small size of the infants, their placement in a machine similar to those used on farms for poultry incubation, and the encouragement of carnival style barkers stimulated the interest of the fair-going public(Baker,1994).

In 1901, Parisian obstetrician Dr. Pierre Budin published the first major textbook on the care of preemies. Translated into English in 1907 and available in the United States, The Nursling: The Feeding and Hygiene of Premature and Full-Term Infants became the standard for physicians, nurses, and others interested in premature babies (Pierre Budin, 1907).

Its basic tenets, which relied on traditional common sense, still form the basis of care today. They include maintaining warmth, providing adequate nutrition, and preventing infection. During the early decades of the 1900s, a few American hospitals established short-lived premature infant stations. One founded by Joseph DeLee.

Myra Estrin Levine (1921–1996) is a nursing theorist known for her esoteric nursing model—the Conservation Model. In this model, nursing aims to promote adaptation and maintain wholeness using the four principles of conservation. The core of the conservation model is to improve a person’s physical and emotional well-being by considering the four domains of conservation she set out. Nursing’s role in conservation is to help the person with the process of “keeping together” the total person through the least amount of effort. Levine (1989)

In 2020, preterm birth affected 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States. The preterm birth rate declined 1% in 2020, from 10.2% in 2019 to 10.1% in 2020. However, racial and ethnic differences in preterm birth rates remain.

In 2020, the rate of preterm birth among African-American women (14.4%) was about 50 percent higher than the rate of preterm birth among white or Hispanic women (9.1% and 9.8% respectively). (CDC, 2022).17 November 2018 – World Prematurity Day – New global estimates show that in 2014, approximately 10.6% of all live births globally were preterm.(Lancet,2018).

In Cameroon, nearly 90,000 newborns are born each year with a weight of less than 2,500 g and before the theoretical term of 37 weeks. Of these, nearly 10,000 die for preventable causes and this prematurity is the second leading cause of death before the age of five. (Positive generation, 2019).

Premature birth is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age (WHO,2020). Possible developmental issues as a result of preterm birth are Developmental delay, Retinopathy of prematurity, Physical disability that is, cerebral palsy, Deficiencies in social competence or the inability to integrate(Simon et al.,2015).

1.2 Problem Statement

Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm annually worldwide, indicating a global preterm birth rate of about 11%. With 1 million children dying due to preterm birth before the age of 5 years, preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children, accounting for 18% of all deaths among children aged under 5 years and as much as 35% of all deaths among newborns (aged <28 days).

The burden of preterm birth is particularly high in low- and middle-income countries, especially those in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Preterm birth rates are rising in many countries. The issue of preterm birth is of paramount significance for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal which aims to end all preventable deaths of newborns and children aged less than 5 years by 2030. (Salihmar, 2020).

Preterm birth continues to be a major public health problem contributing to 75% of neonatal mortality worldwide. (Yamani et al., 2020). In sub-Saharan Africa, 90% of premature children die in the first few days of life.

A study conducted at the University Hospital Centre and the Yaoundé Obstetrical and Pediatric Gynecological Hospital reveals that of the nearly 150,000 children born each year, 26% of those born prematurely die. According to other available statistics, nearly half of all deaths of children less than one year of age are attributable to mortality of newborns aged 0 and 28 days.

In Cameroon, nearly 90,000 newborns are born each year with a weight of less than 2,500g and before the theoretical term of 37 weeks. Of these, nearly 10,000 die from preventable causes and this prematurity is the second leading cause of death before the age of five. (Positive generation, 2019).

1.3 Objectives.

1.3.1. General Objective

Assessment of nurse knowledge in the premature babies in the Buea and Limbe regional Hospitals.

1.3.2. Specific Objectives.

1. To assess nurses’ knowledge of caring for preterm babies.
2. To assess nurse knowledge of the challenges faced in giving care to preterm babies
3. To identify how nurses prevent the challenges they faced in caring for premature babies in the Buea and Limbe Regional Hospitals.

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