Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward Kangaroo Mother Care Among Mothers in a Tertiary Neonatal Care Unit

Abstract

Aim: To study the knowledge, attitude, and practices of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) among eligible postnatal mothers in the postnatal ward (PNW) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary neonatal unit in Eastern India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 mothers of low-birth-weight babies in our PNW and NICU. As part of the unit protocol, all mothers of eligible babies were counseled about KMC at first contact verbally as well as by using an informative video on KMC. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire after the routine counseling of the mothers on their first visit after delivery. The analysis of the data was done using appropriate statistics. Results: More than three-fourths (83.2%) of mothers had good knowledge of KMC. A good attitude toward using KMC was found in 91.6% of the mothers. Almost all the mothers (98%) knew the correct KMC position, and 12% of mothers had a previous preterm baby and had given KMC. Many mothers felt the small size of the baby, pain after cesarean section, and central or peripheral intravenous lines in the baby were barriers to KMC. Conclusion: The knowledge regarding KMC among mothers whose babies were admitted into the PNW/NICU was good. Though the attitude toward KMC was good, mothers felt there were multiple barriers to initiating KMC.