Information levels about newborn care of the mother of the babies lining at the newborn ıntensive care

Early detection of health problems that will emerge or likely to emerge during newborn period in our children who will form the upcoming generations and taking necessary preventive measures are vital for children In this case, to know the type and amount of information that mothers, who are the closest persons to newborns, need concerning newborn care is highly important.This research was carried out to determine information levels of mothers related to newborn care, whose infants staying in Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Ege University Children?s hospital.A total of 148 mothers whose infants have stayed in Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Ege University Children?s hospital between 20 October 2010 and 15 June 2010, who were married, who could communicate easily, who had no psychiatric disorders and who were volunteered to participate in research comprised the scope of this descriptive type of study. A questionnaire including 43 questions evaluating the mothers? information levels related to newborn care was applied. The statistical analysis of data was performed by using SPSS 11.5 package program. One point was assigned to each true answer given to each question asked in the survey form in order to determine the information levels of mothers. Descriptive statistics of the data obtained were detected; and in the direction of these results non-parametric Mann-Whitney U Test, Fisher?s Exact Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test were performed to establish the information levels of mothers. During comparison of data, Chi-Square Test was used and the level of significance was accepted as 0.05 and 0.01.The mean age of mothers participated in study was identified as 27.7 ± 2.2 years. Of the mothers 33.1 % were elementary school graduates, 62.8 % were housewives and 52 % were residing in Centrum. 87.2 % of the mothers had a nuclear type of family and the type of social security was SSK in 70.3 %. Income status was equal to expenses in 66.9 % of the mothers.Any significant relationship could not be found between mothers? age, place of residence, family type, number of children, time span between two childbirths, whether they wanted this pregnancy or not, the place/person they received information about newborn care and their information levels related to newborn care (p=0.05).As a result of our research significant relationships were found between mothers? education status, occupation groups, social security, income levels, receiving information pre-gestation, assuming trouble could be experienced during newborn care and their information levels related to newborn care (P=0.01/p=0.05).In the assessment performed according to research data, mothers were found to be in need of information about newborn infant care; especially in subjects such as nourishment of newborn, bathing, mouth and eye care, perineum cleaning, use of pacifier, cleanness of the belongings used, gas and pain.The importance of mothers? information requirements related to newborn care and providing trainings aimed at meeting these requirements by physicians, nurses and midwives regularly, having practices done and receiving feedbacks will reduce the potential postnatal training requirement to minimum.