Nurses’ knowledge on neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction: Early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and appropriate management can prevent permanent disability and death. The knowledge of the nurses regarding sepsis and their ability to detect early cues and actions taken on suspicion of sepsis are of paramount importance in this respect. Objective:To assess knowledge regarding neonatal sepsis among nursing officers caring for neonates at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH). Method:A descriptive cross-sectional study was done recruiting nurses from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), post-natal wards, paediatric ward and the labour ward of SJGH. Data were collected through an interviewer administered questionnaire and analysed using SPSS. Results: Eighty one nursing officers from the above mentioned units participated in the study. Of the nurses, 72.8% had an overall good knowledge on neonatal sepsis and the rest (27.2%) had a satisfactory knowledge. Ninety five percent of nurses had good or satisfactory knowledge about what neonatal sepsis meant. All participants knew bacteria as a causative organism of neonatal sepsis. Regarding the knowledge on risk factors, majority (80.2%) had a satisfactory or greater knowledge, while the knowledge was unsatisfactory in 19.8%. Of the nurses, 85.5% knew what actions to take upon identification of neonatal sepsis. All the nurses with a working experience less than 1 year, 87.5% of BSc degree holding nurses and 71.2% of nurses with NTS training had a good knowledge. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest Personal funding was used for the project. Open Access Article published under the Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY License Conclusions: Seventy three percent of the nurses had an overall good knowledge on neonatal sepsis and the rest had a satisfactory knowledge. Knowledge deficiencies were identified regarding risk factors of neonatal sepsis, initial action upon identification of sepsis and the cues in identifying sepsis. No significant association was found between the knowledge on neonatal sepsis and the institute of training or duration of exposure. However, some degree of association was tracked between the unit of work and knowledge on sepsis. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v48i4.8825 (

A qualitative exploration of the determinants of youth violence using participatory action research: a Sri Lankan study

“…Many family-level determinants of violence identi ed in the present study were also reported in previous studies. For example witnessing domestic violence, harsh disciplinary practices, inadequate parental supervision, and poor attachment to families have been found to be risk factors for youth violence in many studies (5,11,16,45) Furthermore, lack of stability in homes and family disruption have also been found to lead to youth violence (14)(15)(16)47). Consistent with ndings from previous studies, peer in uence emerged as a major school-level determinant of youth violence.…”

“…Another study in Sri Lanka found harsh disciplinary practices of parents and poor attachment of children to homes to be risk factors for youth violence (11). Additionally, higher use of corporal punishment by teachers and school principals in Sri Lanka has been identi ed as a risk factor for violence among students (11,18,19).…”

“…Another study in Sri Lanka found harsh disciplinary practices of parents and poor attachment of children to homes to be risk factors for youth violence (11). Additionally, higher use of corporal punishment by teachers and school principals in Sri Lanka has been identi ed as a risk factor for violence among students (11,18,19).Youth violence has adverse and long-term effects on the overall wellbeing of young people going beyond the physical consequences (2). It results in more than 400 000 nonfatal injuries each year (20,21).…”

Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme Regarding Prevention of Infection in Hospitalized Neonates Among Nursing Students

“…11 Furthermore, Hevamalage P., et.al found that younger nurses displayed higher motivation to acquire knowledge and had a greater capacity to accept new information. 12 It is crucial to educate nurses about neonatal infection as those directly involved in providing care have the power to influence the outcomes of neonatal care. By enhancing their knowledge in this area, we can improve the safety and overall results of neonatal care.…”

Infections in the newborn

“…Hence it is very important for hospital staff, public health staff and the community at large to have a satisfactory understanding about the preventive steps that need to be taken against infection, how to recognize signs of infection and consequences of missing early signs of infections in newborn babies. A recent study done regarding knowledge on newborn infection at a Teaching Hospital revealed that almost all nurses involved in neonatal care had satisfactory knowledge regarding newborn infection 1 .…”