Knowledge and Attitude of Nurses in the Tamale Metropolis toward Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC)

Author(s):

Sylvia Phaphali Adzitey*, Michael Wombeogo, Abdul-Hassan Mumin and Frederick Adzitey

Background: The benefits of kangaroo mother care (KMC) will remain untapped if nurses do not demonstrate adequate knowledge and positive attitude toward it. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of nurses in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana towards KMC and its practice. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 67 nurses selected from the four main hospitals in the Tamale Metropolis. A structured questionnaire comprising of both open and close ended questions was used. Data obtained was analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Results: Most of the nurses interviewed were between the ages of 21-30 years (71.6%) and had 1-5 years (76.1%) work experience. Sixty six (98.5%) of the nurses have heard about KMC, 51 (76.1%) had an idea about what KMC is and 16 (23.9%) were able to define KMC correctly. According to the nurses KMC can be given by mothers 66 (98.5%), fathers 42 (62.7%) and other family members 37 (55.2%). Also the group of babies requiring KMC are low birth weight babies 56 (83.6%), preterm babies 65 (97.0%), overweight babies 4 (6.0%), sick babies 10 (14.9%) and others 6 (9.0%). Twenty five (37.3%) of the nurses are usually highly enthused when assisting mothers to practice KMC, 8 (11.9%) are enthused much, 14 (20.9%) are usually moderately enthused, 7 (10.4%) are slightly enthused, 9 (13.5%) are not enthused at all in assisting mothers practice KMC and 4 (6.0%) did not answer the question. Fifty three (79.1%) of the nurses persuade mothers with preterm/low birth weight babies to practice KMC, 11 (16.4%) do not persuade them and three persons did not answer the question. Thirty four (50.7%) of the respondents do insist mothers practice KMC if they do not respond to persuasion, 30 (44.8%) do not insist that mothers practice KMC if persuasion fails and three of them did not answer the question. Conclusion: A good number of nurses in the Tamale Metropolis have a positive attitude towards KMC but lack adequate knowledge on its benefits and how to ensure a successful implementation. There is therefore the need