Title: “How do parents in the neonatal unit at groote schuur hospital, perceive Kangaroo Mother Care

Title: "How do parents in the neonatal unit at groote schuur hospital, perceive Kangaroo Mother Care." (KMC)

Z. Lippert, P. Kirkwood, V. Suberg, E. Mc Glenadolf, Jacobs

Presented by E. Ryan

Introduction

This pilot study was conducted by the neonatal nursing science students in June, 1998. The aim of including KMC in the curriculum of the neonatal nursing science course was two-fold.

Firstly the students were novices as far as the conducting of research was concerned.

Secondly, the tutor felt that it would be better for the students to gain first-hand information from the parents, and not just accept the tutors views. In this way KMC would become more acceptable to these students. At the completion of their course, these students would then return to their various tertiary neonatal units in Cape Town, equipped with a clearer perspective of KMC.

The Aim of the Study.

This was done mainly to assess whether KMC as a new concept in South Africa, was beneficial to bother mother and baby.

Objective:

The main objective was to identify parents feelings towards KMC and also to measure how frequent KMC was done by parents.

The Research Design:

This was a descriptive study .

The Methodology Used:

Formal interviews were held and the tool used was a questionnaire with both open and closed questions.

The Target Population:

This included all mothers/parents in the neonatal unit, doing KMC.

The Accessible Population:

30 Mothers and babies in the Kangaroo Mother Care Ward, at Groote Schuur Hospital.

Criteria used:

Babies weighing 1700 - 2kg at time of interview, prior to or at discharge.

Results:

The most important conclusion that the students could derive at was, that it appears as if the majority of moms see themselves and their baby as a single unit.

The 2 moms who did not like KMC had no support from the babies fathers.

Recommendation for further Studies

Further studies should be undertaken to prove or disprove their assumption. Studies should also be done to see whether psycho-social conflict between the parents has an influence on the moms acceptance of KMC.