ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE AMONG STAFF NURSES REGARDING KANGAROO MOTHER CARE WORKING IN MATERNITY WARD OF SELECTED HOSPITAL OF BELGAUM, KARNATAKA

Introduction Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a type of care for pre-term infant/babies by their parents that provide early skin-to skin contact between the baby and the parents. Low birth weight and preterm baby is one of the major health problems throughout the world. The skin to skin contact between mother and baby provides an excellent source of biological controlled heat. It provides warmth, promotes bonding and breastfeeding. Objective: 1. To assess the knowledge of staff nurses regarding kangaroo mother care. 2. To find out the association between the knowledge of staff nurses regarding kangaroo mother care with selected demographic variables. Material and Methods The study comprised of selected 30 staff nurses working in maternity unit, by using simple random sampling method by using purposive sampling technique. Baseline data and knowledge of staff nurses were assessed by using structured knowledge questionnaire on kangaroo mother care. The data was analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics. Results The analysis showed that the area wise distribution of knowledge regarding kangaroo mother care. In general information the mean score was 3.53. In Advantages of kangaroo mother care the mean score is 2.93. In eligibility criteria of KMC the mean score is 4.46. In practice of KMC the mean score is 1.67. In KMC in nursery the mean score is 2.13. In don'ts of KMC the mean score is 1.93. Conclusion KMC is the best method for the LBW. It reduced the mother's fear, increased the physician and mental development of the baby and increased milk production.KMC is a cost effective alternative to incubator care for low LBW newborns in a low resource setting.