Assessment of Nursing Care Provided to Neonates Undergoing Phototherapy

Abstract

Background: Neonatal jaundice occurs in about 60% of neonates. If not managed properly, it can progress to severe neonatal jaundice leading to death or permanent disability. Aim of this study: To assess nursing care provided to neonates undergoing phototherapy. Design: A descriptive design was utilized in this study. Setting: The study was carried out in the neonatal intensive care units affiliated to Helwan General Hospital and Ain Shams University Obstetric Hospital. Subject:The study included 80 nurses working at the previously mentioned setting and one hundred and twenty neonates.Tools:Two tools were utilized for data collection in a period of 4 months, (1) A questionnaire sheet to assess nurses' knowledge and (2) An observation checklist to assess nurses' practice regarding neonates suffering from jaundice and undergoing phototherapy.Results: The results revealed that,the majority of the studied nurses had poor knowledge, more than three-quarters of the studied nurses had a poor level of actual practice regarding nursing care for neonates undergoing phototherapy and there was a highly statistical significant relation between nurses' knowledge & practice. Conclusion: The study concluded that, nurses had a poor level of knowledge and practice regarding the nursing care for neonates undergoing phototherapy. Recommendations: Develop educational training programs for meeting actual educational need assessment of nurses dealing with neonates undergoing phototherapyto update nurses' knowledge and practices toward providing comprehensive, concise and complete nursing care for neonates undergoing phototherapy.

Nurses Performance regarding Humanized Care of Newborn with Hyperbilirubinemia

“…This may be explained as nurses' knowledge acquired only from their experience at NICU. This finding was supported with Ibrahim et al, (2019) who showed that more than two-thirds of the studied nurses in their study had poor knowledge as regard definition of neonatal jaundice and more than three-quarters of them had poor knowledge regarding clinical manifestations before educational intervention (24) . While this result was contradicted with Ahmed et al, (2017) who conducted study about assessment of nurses' knowledge and practice about neonatal jaundice and reported that majority of the studied nurses had good knowledge about definition of neonatal jaundice (25) .…”

Routine Phototherapy Vs Aluminum Foil Associated Phototherapy : Effect on Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

“…Identification of the neonate at risk, parent education and support, and nursing care for newborns receiving hyperbilirubinemia treatment are all crucial tasks performed by the neonatal nurse. The neonatal nurse is responsible for facilitating communication between parents, lab staff, doctors, and other members of the newborn care team (Ibrahim et al, 2019). During phototherapy, newborns need nursing care that include monitoring room temperature, positioning, body temperature, skincare, hydration, feeding, umbilical stump care, eye care, genital care, and nursing care that is based on evidence (Pandey, 2023).…”

Educational Program of Nurses Practices Towards to Phototherapy at Neonatal Care Units

“…When phototherapy was used, only 2 of 833 such infants (0.24%) received exchange transfusions. Between January 1988 and October 2007, no exchange transfusions were needed in the neonatal intensive care unit at William Beaumont Hospital, in Royal Oak, Michigan, for 2425 infants who weighed less than 1500 g at birth (2) .Wash hands before and after any nursing procedure , Ensure that the premature body is exposed to light, Covering the eyes and genitals of the premature infant so as not to allow the passage of light, The distance of the light from the premature body is 10-30 cm, Turn off the lighting device when the baby is breast-feeding (breastfeeding) and when examining to protect the eyes of the baby, mother, and workers in neonatal care units from the influence of light (3) .Remove the eye cover when feeding, Giving intravenous fluids according to the doctor's instructions, and avoiding exposure of the newborn to dehydration, Changing the newborn's position in the incubator to ensure that the rest of the body is exposed to light and to avoid skin ulcers, Explaining the importance of phototherapy and breastfeeding to the newborn's parents to help them accept the treatment and nursing documentation after any nursing procedure and intervention (4) .…”