Guidelines provided at the moment of hospital discharge to women in the puerperal period, housed jointly with their infants: the impact on the acquisition of specific knowledge

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the guidelines provided at the moment of hospital discharge to women in the puerperal period, in rooming in care with their infants. The guidelines were given by a interdisciplinary staff composed of professionals and students of Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Nutrition, Physiotherapy and Nursing of the "Pontificia Universidade Católica de Campinas state of São Paulo, Brazil. The content of the presentations were based on subjects such as Breast-feeding, Infant Developnent, Family Dynamics and Child Care Notions. A questionnaire containing the most relevant aspects of the contents was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in regard to the mother 's acquired knowledge. The survey was applied before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the orientation of the mothers The post-test was performed at the mother's place of residence between 7 and 30 days post-delivery. There were significant changes in the level of knowlegde in the sampling of 62 mothers studied, all of whom were characterized as belonging to low socioeconomic class and having low level of schooling. Breast-feeding techniques, care of the umbilical stump, infant bathing, prevention of diaper rash, maternal nutrition during the nursing period and infant stimulation were the topics that presented highest statistical significance between pre-test and post-test. Therefore, it was concluded that, guidance program, in spite of being an activity developed only at the time of the mother's discharge, the guidance program brought educational benefits to the population, constituting one of the steps needed for the incorporation of the desired practices.