INTRODUCTION:

“A Healthy Child, A Sure Future”

By Dr. H. Mahler, Director General, WHO, World Health Day, 1979

Neonatal nurses assess neonatal development, identify common variations in each new born, and recognize abnormalities. The nurses also monitor the neonatal changing status;an intervention needed and evaluate their effectiveness.

Weacher (1985) stated that the health of neonates has historically been of vital importance to all societies because of the fact that they are the basic resources for the future of mankind.

Bhandari (1989), the president of India academy of paediatrics, stated, “Normal neonates are the real wealth of the country and it is for us to preserve their health.”

NEED OF THE STUDY:

It is one of the important functions of the nurses to talk to the postnatal mothers about the care of their neonates. They are more concerned regarding their health and welfare. As small family norms are coming up the postnatal mothers expect a high quality care for their neonates in the hospital.

To make postnatal mothers satisfied regarding care of their neonates nurses should fulfill the ultimate goal of nursing profession e.g. to establish a scientific base of knowledge fundamental of the practice so that the standard of care improves and promotes quality care with higher degree of excellence in the hospital.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:

To assess the deficiencies in the neonatal care and enhance the quality of care, thus providing better satisfaction to the client.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To identify the various needs of neonates in postnatal ward.

2. To assess the level of satisfaction of postnatal mother’s regarding the neonates care.

3. To assess the satisfaction score according to various variables:

- Age

- Parity

- Education

- Occupation

- Income

- Family

DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF THE TOOL:

The study was aimed at assessing the level of satisfaction of postnatal mothers with the help of experts of various fields; investigator improved the tool by adding few items and sub stating few items on the whole.

A structured tool was prepared in two parts with the total of 37 items, all arranged in a 5 point scale, with a maximum scoring of five for those items where the neonatal mothers were fully satisfied and one for the highly dissatisfied.

Part- I the item obtained information on aspects like para, age, education, type of family, occupation, income of the postnatal mother.

Part- II contained total 37 items. The satisfaction scores on various aspect of different need of neonates.

Need of the neonates-

1. Information need of postnatal mothers.

2. Health education of postnatal mothers.

3. Comfort needs of the neonates.

4. Respiration needs of the neonates.

5. Personal hygiene of the neonates.

6. Nutrition and elimination needs.

7. Environmental needs.

8. Social and emotional needs.

9. Miscellaneous needs of the neonates.

A maximum score of 185 could be scored when a postnatal mother is fully satisfied.

MAJOR FINDINGS:

1. Among various needs of the highest was a nutritional need (96%). It was followed by respiration pattern which was 87.6% the minimum needs felt scored was social and emotional 29.8%.

2. Regarding the level of satisfaction it is assessed in terms of score, the subject have obtained, thus the highest/ maximum score highly satisfied is obtained by (8) mothers followed by (48) mother spatially satisfied minimum 4 subjects both/not sure, therefore it is interpreted that most of the women were partially satisfied.

3. According to the 3^rd objectives, which is to compare the satisfaction with various variables, the finding shows that postnatal mothers whose age is the range of age (20-25) group total 22 subjects scored highest (73.5%) as compare to other age group. The difference between three pairs (20-25) 26-30 years, 31-35 years means in statistically not significant at 0.05 level, so the age of the postnatal mothers does not have any impact on the satisfaction of neonatal care.

4. According to the parity 1^stpara mothers had maximum mean (142.4) followed by 2^nd gravid (131.9) and lowest satisfactions mean scored (121.9) for 3^rd gravid. The difference in the satisfaction in accordance with Para first and second is statistically not significant but between 1^st and 3^rd and 2^nd and 3^rd is statically significant at .01 level. Thus it indicates the higher the parity is, the higher the expectations of post natal mothers are more.

5. Finding indicates that higher mean satisfaction score of postnatal mothers (145.5) for primary group. Maximum mean satisfaction score (136.7) for high followed by (135.7) in middle. Where as low mean satisfaction score between primary and middle and high education were statistically not significant were as primary education and middle education, primary and higher education statistically significant. Therefore, it may be concluded that primary education mothers had more satisfaction as compare to metric and high education groups. It means higher the education expectations are more due to awareness.

6. Finding indicates that joint family of postnatal mothers had higher satisfaction score (135.7) as compared to nuclear family, the computed‘t’ value (0.79) which is statistically not significant.

7. Findings indicates that working women had maximum mean satisfaction score (135.7) as compared to non working women and this difference is statistically significant at 0.05 level.

8. The lowest family income group mothers had higher satisfaction score (139.7) followed by middle income group _134.8) and minimum (126.4) of higher family income groups the difference between lower and higher middle andhigher group was significantly higher at 0.05 level. There have low income the satisfaction score will be more and high income group have low satisfaction score.

REFERENCES:

1. Arya, M P Neonatal Nursing Care Swasth Hind (1978).

2. Ahmed, S.H.; Moonis, R; Kidwai, T; Khan, T.A.; Khan, H.M. “Nursing Care of Neonatal” Indian J. Pediatrics 53 (3): 409-413.

3. Alpert, J.J: Kosa. J; Hagerty, J.; Robertson L.S.; Heagerty M.C “Attitudes And Satisfaction Of Low Income Families Receiving Comprehensive Pediatric Care” American Journal Of Public Health 60 (3): 499-506.

4. Black, O.; “Interrelated Issue in Evaluation And Evaluative Research: A Researchers Perspective”, Nursing Research 29 (2): 69-73.

5. Brown, S. (1997). A woman’s view of Neonatal Care is any one listening? Neonatal Society of Australia.

Received on 21.05.2013 Modified on 30.05.2013

Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research 3(2): April.-June 2013; Page 122-123