SAFE practice: A patient centered initiative in Australia to promote skin-to-skin in the early hours after birth

15^th Euro Nursing & Medicare Summit

October 17-19, 2016 Rome, Italy

Jean Du Plessis, Myra Quilatan and Shailender Mehta

Fiona Stanley Hospital, Australia
University of Notre Dame, Australia

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Background & Aim: Skin to skin or �kangaroo care� (KC) soon after birth is a well-established practice in Australia with many benefits like mother-baby bonding, thermoregulation and promoting breast feeding. While majority of newborns tolerate it well, some may become compromised with serious consequences. Supervision for KC in the first few hours after birth is crucial time for both mother and her baby but also poses challenges to workload of midwifery staff in a busy birthing suite. A prior audit from our center revealed only 21% compliance with paper-based observation chart for newborns in the immediate postpartum period. The objective of this study was to improve vigilance for newborns receiving KC soon after birth. Methods: This quality assurance activity (SAFE-saturation assessment for early hours) was undertaken in a maternity unit of tertiary hospital. All babies receiving KC had continuous pulse oximetry monitoring after birth for the first hour. A cross sectional survey was performed to collate feedback from midwifery staff and the mothers. Data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: Response rate to survey was 80% for midwifery staff and 71% for mothers. Most midwifery staff received the practice positively and felt more reassured about the baby�s status. The survey identified gaps in maternal knowledge about risks and benefits of KC. Majority of staff recommended instituting this practice at other centers. Conclusion: Continuous pulse oximetry in the first hour is a simple non-invasive and innovative approach to improve vigilance for all newborns receiving skin to skin care soon after birth.

Biography :

Jean Du Plessis is the Head of Service of Neonatology at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at University of Notre Dame, Fremantle. In addition to long standing clinical career, he also possesses excellent administrative and diplomatic skills and has track record of successful delivery of high quality patient care to the population of South Perth. He has been closely involved with University of Western Australia. He is currently an Investigator of various clinical trials running in the Neonatal Unit. His research interests include innovations to improve Neonatal Health Care.

Email: Jean.DuPlessis@health.wa.gov.au