The impact of a neonatal sleep care training program on nurses' knowledge and performance in neonatal intensive care units

Background: Sleep is essential for organizing and maturation of the brain in premature infants; it also plays a role in maintaining the natural balance between different nervous centers. Given the role of nurses in neonatal sleep care, this study aimed at assessing the impact of a training program on the nurses' knowledge and performance in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study which structured into three stages, 35 nurses working in an NICU in Isfahan, Iran, were included. The neonatal sleep training program was in the form of a lecture with questions and answers and then placing posters and booklets in the NICU. The data were collected by a questionnaire for nurses' knowledge and performance assessment which its validity and reliability were determined through content validity and internal consistency, respectively. The nurses' knowledge was assessed via 40 multiple-choice questions before, immediately after, and 1 month after the training program, and their performance was evaluated before and 1 month after intervention using 15 multiple-choice questions. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS software version 16. Results: The results showed that the mean score of nurses' knowledge after training has significantly increased as compared to before training (33.33 (4.4) vs. 19.33 (4.1)) (P < 0.001); however, the score of performance was slightly improved although it did not reveal any significant differences (P = 0.07, 42.6 (7.6) vs. 45.1 (7.8)). Conclusions: The results indicated that this method of training program could lead to an increase in nurses' knowledge, but it did not significantly improve their performance. It may be due to a low number of training sessions; therefore, it is recommended to implement long-term training programs in this field