Evaluation of knowledge level about kangaroo mother care after preterm births i̇n nursing and midwifery students

Objective: The present study aims to assess the level of knowledge of student midwives and nurses on kangaroo mother care following preterm birth. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a descriptive design. The study population consisted of nursing and midwifery students studying at a foundation university, while the study sample consisted of 349 students who were at the school between March 2 and 6, 2020 and agreed to participate in the research. The study data were collected using a two-part data collection form developed by the researchers. The first part of the Data Collection Form included 15 questions analyzing the sociodemographic characteristics of the students, while the second part included 23 questions measuring their level of knowledge on kangaroo mother care. Results: According to the study findings; the mean age of students was 21.03 ± 1.817 years, 83.4% of students were female and 16.6% were male, 98.6% were single, and 19.2% were midwifery students, while 80.8% were nursing students. Of the kangaroo care knowledge form, the mean score was 1.83±0.691 for definition and historical development, 2.84 ± 0.856 for mode of practice, 6.03 ± 1.454 for benefits to the babies, and 6.70 ± 1.482 for benefits to mothers/parents. The total mean score of the kangaroo mother care knowledge form was 17.39±3.155. Conclusion: Midwifery students were found to have higher total KCKF scores than nursing students. It was established that the kangaroo care knowledge of students was affected by age, gender, school year, status of working, and kangaroo mother care observations and applications in clinical practice. Keywords: Preterm infant, kangaroo mother care, nurse, midwife