Preterm birth is truly a global problem, is a major determinant of neonatal mortality and morbidity and has long-term adverse consequences for health. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of pre-hospital discharge educational program for mothers of preterm infants on their level of knowledge and reported practice and to evaluate the effect of the program on Preterm infants’ physical illness, growth and development. The study utilized a quasi-experimental research design. The study sample consisted of 50 mothers and their preterm infants they were randomly assigned into study or control group using simple random sampling. The study was conducted in the NICU at Benha Specialized Pediatric Hospital. The required data was collected using the following tools, structured interview sheet; preterm infant follow-up monitoring sheet and Denver Developmental Screening Instrument version II it developed by Frankenberg and Dodds (1992). The study results revealed that mothers who received the pre-hospital discharge educational program demonstrated significant higher mean score of knowledge and reported practice regarding care of their preterm infants at 8th and 16th weeks after hospital discharge than those in the control group. The highest percentages of preterm infants whose mothers had been involved in the educational program had fewer physical illnesses and had normal basic developmental milestones after hospital discharge than those in the control group. These results support the proposed study hypotheses. It was recommended that supporting and involving parents in the discharge process is mandatory to give them confidence in caring for their preterm infant at home. |
