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Saturday, 16 November 2013
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify the effect of a limited education program has on the NICU nurse's knowledge base.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify the effect that an increase knowledge base has on the attitude of the NICU nurses towards breastfeeding support.
The vulnerable infants of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) have the most to gain from the numerous health benefits science has attributed to breastmilk yet NICU nurses receive little lactation education. As noted in the research, NICU nurses lack a sufficient knowledge base to properly assist the breastfeeding couplet. The nurse’s knowledge and attitude towards breastfeeding are positively correlated to the education that the nurse has received (Spears, 2004). This quality improvement project involves the development and implementation of a voluntary education program in a tertiary level 3 NICU. The breastfeeding education program is an ongoing streamlined 2-hour voluntary education program that includes information on the benefits of breastfeeding, anatomy and physiology, strategies to improve breastfeeding rates, milk production and common misbelieves. Upon completion of the education, staff were identified as “Breastfeeding Friends”, recognized with a pin, and appointed as a resource to staff and parents. The effectiveness of the program was measured by pre and post-testing of knowledge and by a perception survey of participants. The initial phase has shown statistical significance in nurses’ knowledge pre-education to post-education with mean test scores improving from 68.2% to 85.9%. In addition the Press-Ganey results for the question “Nursing support: breastfeeding” question demonstrated mean scores at 93%. Implementation of this program has resulted in improved education of the NICU nurse and support of the nursing mother. The success of this education program is evidence of how nurses identified challenges in nursing and develop strategies to meet those challenges.