Effectiveness of an educational program on nurses’ knowledge about the premature baby needs at neonatal intensive care unit of Pediatric Teaching Hospitals in Baghdad city

All babies born at less than 37 weeks gestation, noting that this includes both provider initiated and spontaneous preterm birth, and many varying causations. Yet in many countries, families and health care providers still perceive the deaths of any premature baby as inevitable. Descriptive analytic (quasi experimental) design study carried out in Baghdad City in pediatric Teaching Hospital’s from 11 of February till 5 April 2018. Non-probability (purposive) sample of (33) nurses working in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was chosen. Validity of the questionnaire and educational program are tested by (13) experts from related fields. Reliability of questionnaire and program tested through pilot study of (7) nurses. The study findings effectiveness of an educational program on nurses’ knowledge about premature neonates, indicate that there is high significant difference among nurses’ knowledge pre-test and post-test at p-value=0.001, which indicates that the program is effective evidenced by difference in mean of nurses’ knowledge. There is a significant relationship between nurse’s knowledge and nurse’s level of education of the socio demographical characteristics and general nurse’s employment years and period of working in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Over all evaluation of education program for nurses was fair.