Healthcare workers attitude regarding kangaroo mother care in Nyeri county referral hospital, Kenya.

Abstract

Background: Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a system used for the care of preterm babies and low birth weight babies. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of KMC to help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2, with an aim of reducing neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births per country. Healthcare workers play a significant role in initiating, supporting and sustaining the practice of KMC. This study assessed the healthcare workers attitude regarding KMC in Nyeri county referral hospital, Kenya. Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive survey study. Census sampling method was used to recruit 28 respondents. A researcher administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Analysis was done using SPSS software Version 26. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for analysis. Results: The study found that 89% (n=25) of the respondents had a positive attitude about KMC practice. Half of all the healthcare workers 50% (n= 14) had received training on KMC. Majority of the healthcare workers 71% (n=25) preferred incubators over KMC. However there was no significant relationship between (X2 = 0.700, df = 1, p = 0.403) training of healthcare worker and KMC adoption. Conclusion: The study concluded that the healthcare workers had a positive attitude towards KMC. Half of them had received training on KMC however, majority preferred incubators over KMC. The study recommends KMC sensitization seminars and continuous training of healthcare workers on KMC. Establishment of excellent centers as a way of motivating them is also recommended.