Nursing
Nursing Care Provided for Neonates with Respiratory
Distress Syndrome in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Makkah Al-Mukarramah
in Saudi Arabia
Lamiaa Ahmed Elsayed1,3,
Nahed Said El-Nagger1,3, and Sahar Mohamed Aly2,3
1Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Ain
Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
2Nursing Management Department,, Faculty of Nursing,
Port Said University, Egypt
3Faculty of Nursing,
Umm Al Qura University, Makkah Al-
Mukramah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract: Background: Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a major cause of illness
and death for premature infants. RDS or Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD) is
defined as a syndrome caused
by developmental insufficiency of surfactant production and structural immaturity in the lungs at birth results in decreased compliance of the
lung. Lung maturation is usually inadequate to sustain extra uterine life. The
aimof this study was to assess the nurses’ knowledge and performance
regarding their care provided for neonates with respiratory distress syndrome
in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Study design: It
was a descriptive study. Subjects and Methods: The study was
carried out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital
and Heraa General Hospital in Makkah Al-Mukramah. A convenient sample composed
of 50 nurses who were working in the NICUs and providing the care for the
neonates with RDS, whereas 25 nurses were taken from each hospital. Data were
collected through using two tools: The first tool was Self-Administered
Questionnaire that used to assess the nurses' knowledge regarding the Neonatal
RDS and the second tool was an Observation Checklist to assess the nurses’
performance regarding their care provided for the neonates with RDS. Results: The
current study revealed that most of nurses had unsatisfactory
knowledge regarding the neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, meanwhile the
majority of them were competent in their performance regarding the care
provided for the neonates with RDS. Conclusion: the current
study concluded that nurses' knowledge in both hospitals at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital and Heraa General Hospital at
Makkah Al-Mukarrama had unsatisfactory knowledge regarding the neonatal RDS
meanwhile the majority of them had competent performance regarding their care
provided for neonates' with RDS. Recommendations: Educational
training program is needed for improving nurses’ knowledge and performance
about their care for neonates with RDS in the NICUs.
Lamiaa Ahmed Elsayed, Nahed Said El-Nagger, and Sahar
Mohamed Aly. Nursing Care Provided for Neonates with
Respiratory Distress Syndrome in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Makkah
Al-Mukarramah in Saudi Arabia. Life Sci J 2013;10(1):3403-3412]
(ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.
Key words: Respiratory Distress Syndrome RDS) , Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
