Knowledge Regarding Management of Low Birth Weight Babies among Nursing Personnel Working in Selected Government Hospitals Shimla (H.P.)

Background: A newborn baby with a birth weight of less than 2500 grams is termed as low birth weight baby. In India, 2 out of 10 term babies are born with low birth weight. The prevalence of low birth weight exists universally in all population. Low birth weight with high mortality and morbidity becomes a major health problem in India. One third of the infant mortality is due to low birth weight. Low birth weight is also an important indirect cause of neonatal deaths. It contributes to 60% to 80% of all neonatal deaths. The global prevalence of LBW is 15.5%, which amounts to about 20 million LBW infants born each year, 96.5% of them in developing countries. Children are the basic foundation of future society so it is necessary to provide appropriate management to them. Aim: The main aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of self-instructional module on Knowledge of Nursing personnel regarding Management of Low Birth Weight Babies. Objectives: The objectives of present study were (i) to assess the knowledge regarding management of low birth weight babies among nursing personnel working in selected Government Hospitals Shimla, (H.P.). (ii) To develop and administer self-instructional module on knowledge regarding management of low birth weight babies among nursing personnel working in selected Government Hospitals Shimla, (H.P.). (iii) To evaluate the effectiveness of self-instructional module on knowledge regarding management of low birth weight babies among nursing personnel working in selected Government Hospitals Shimla, (H.P.). (iv) To find out the association of level of knowledge regarding management of low birth weight babies among nursing personnel working in selected Government Hospitals Shimla, (H.P.) with selected demographic variables. Materials and Methods: A pre-experimental one group pre-test post-test design was used for the study. Total 60 nursing personnel working in selected Government Hospitals Shimla (H.P.) were selected by using convenience sampling technique. A self-structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the Knowledge regarding Management of Low Birth Weight Babies. The structured knowledge questionnaire consists of demographic data profile and 30 multiple choice questions regarding Management of Low Birth Weight Babies. After conducting pre-test, self-instructional module was provided. The post-test was conducted on 7th day and the knowledge score of pre-test and post-test was compared. The gathered data was analyzed by calculating mean, mean percentage, mean difference, standard deviation, paired t-test to evaluate the knowledge score and chi square test used to find association of knowledge with selected demographic variable. Results: The study finding showed that the mean posttest knowledge score (23.57) was higher than the mean pre-test knowledge score (14.55) which was statistically significant. Conclusion: It was concluded that the self-instructional module was effective in increasing the knowledge of nursing personnel regarding Management of Low Birth Weight Babies.