Background: Congenital heart disease is the most common major birth defect in infants. Aim of
study: Was to evaluate the effect of post-operative protocol of feeding for nurses on improving
nutritional outcomes of infants with congenital heart diseases. Design: A quasi- experimental design
was used in the current study. Setting: The present study was conducted in the Pediatric Cardiac Care
Unit and Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Specialized Pediatric Hospital at Benha City. Subjects: A
convenient sample of (51) nurses who working at the previously mentioned setting included in the study
and a purposive sample of (102) infants who had congenital heart disease post operatively. Tools of data
collection: Tool (1): A structured interviewing questionnaire sheet consists of part (1): personal
characteristics of the studied nurses, part (2): Nurse's knowledge regarding congenital heart disease,
and part (3): Nurse's knowledge regarding post-operative feeding for infants with congenital heart
disease. Tool (II): An observational checklist to assess nurses' practices. Tool (III) Infant Nutritional
Outcomes: consists of Part (1): Personal characteristics of the studied infants, Part (2): Infant health
assessment sheet and Part (3): nutritional outcomes. Results: Most of the studied nurses had good
knowledge level and had competent practice in post protocol of feeding implementation. One third of
infants stayed in hospital for a period 1->7 days pre-program implementation compared to less than three
quarters post protocol of feeding implementation. There was high statistically significant difference in
the total mean of weight gain of infants pre and post protocol of feeding implementation. |
