The Effect of Education on Oral Feeding Supporting Practices in Preterm Babies on Health Professionals in NICU: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect education on oral feeding supporting practices in preterm infants on healthcare professionals. Material and Methods: The study was a single group with pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design conducted at a medical faculty hospital in Turkey. A sample of 44 NICU healthcare professionals (nurse and physician) participated in an education programme. Data were collected using the Demographic Characteristics and Preterm Infant Feeding Qestionnaire Form. Participants were split into groups of 8 to 10 person and the education course was completed in average 45 minutes per day for five days. Prior to the education program, participants completed the pretest. The posttest was completed two weeks after completion of the education course. Data were analyzed using McNemar test and paired t test. Results: The average age of the participants is 26.14±4.81. Of the 44 participants, 86.4% were nurse, 13.6% physicians and 88.6% were female. While 63.6% of the healthcare professionals had NRP certification, 70.5% of them did not have the neonatal intensive care nursing certificate. It was determined that 40.9% of the participants were not educated about preterm infant feeding, while those who participated in the training were found to receive breast milk training in the context of in-service training. The mean rate of correct pretest answers was 58.69%, whereas the mean rate of correct posttest answers was 78% (p<0.001) Conclusion: It has been determined that the education given on oral feeding supporting practices in preterm infants improves knowledge the healthcare professionals’.