Publication Details
Abstract
Background: Immediate and effective resuscitation of newborns is considered one of the most life-saving interventions in the delivery room, and its quality directly depends on the knowledge and skills of midwives. There is insufficient local data on the level of this knowledge in Kirkuk hospitals. Objective: Assessment the level of midwives' knowledge about neonatal resuscitation, identifying strengths and weaknesses according to resuscitation components, and demonstrating the relationship between knowledge and demographic and professional characteristics, particularly specialized training. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study of 41 midwives working in three hospitals located at the city of Kirkuk (Azadi Teaching Hospital, Kirkuk Teaching hospital and Maternity &children’s hospital). Data collection was performed using a questionnaire that consisted of demographic/occupational characteristics and multiple-choice questions, which were corrected according to the Neonatal Resuscitation Program recommendations as well as American Heart Association/American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. Knowledge level was categorized poor (<50%), average (50–74%) and good (≥75%). Level of significance was set to 0.05 for (Mann-Whitney) non-parametric tests. Results: The average knowledge score was 9.10 ± 3.35 out of 20 (45.5%), with a median of 10 (interquartile range 8–11). The level of knowledge was poor among 19 midwives (46.3%), average among 20 (48.8%), and good among only two midwives (4.9%). The highest percentages of correct answers were recorded in the sections on the purpose of resuscitation (85.4%), the method of administering medications (85.4%), the significance of grunting (82.9%), and signs of inadequate ventilation (82.9%). The lowest percentages were in the ventilation effectiveness index (14.6%), the initial oxygen concentration for a full-term newborn (19.5%), and the compression-to-ventilation ratio (26.8%). The weakest area was respiration, oxygen, and ventilation (38.5%) compared to 55.3% for the general principles and initial assessment area (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed in the overall score based on demographic or professional characteristics (9.76 vs. 8.40; p = 0.158). However, the trainers clearly excelled in the selective airway suctioning section (95.2% vs. 35.0%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The neonatal resuscitation knowledge level of midwives is insufficient; there are significant gaps in the priorities (ventilation and oxygen) and timing to initiation for chest compressions. The reflections suggest the need for timely simulation-based competency assessment and even-updating of knowledge in accord to contemporary guidelines.