ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Sleep promotion in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) should be a priority because interruptions may prevent patients from getting enough sleep. Inadequate sleep might lead to delirium, anxiety, increased hospital stays, and higher mortalities. Critical care nurses with good knowledge and attitude towards sleep promotion interventions benefit critically ill patients’ quality of care and life. Critical illness, pain, mechanical ventilation, surroundings, and nurses’ activity at night contribute to sleep disturbances in ICU patients. The aim of this study was to determine critical care nurses’ knowledge regarding the physiology of sleep, interventions to promote sleep,attitude towards sleep, and sleep promotion. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire and purposive sampling method was conducted among 109 critical care nurses at the ICU of a teaching hospital. Results: The mean score knowledge of critical care nurses was 4.72 (± 1.92), attitude towards sleep was 18.57 (± 3.56), and intervention towards sleep promotion was 70.00 (± 12.00). A significant correlation was observed between knowledge and attitude (p < 0.05, r = 0.22) and between attitude and intervention (p < 0.05, r = 0.32), indicating a modest correlation. Moreover, a significant association was noted between years of experience and attitude and intervention (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Critical care nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and interventions were poor; hence, they need to improve their knowledge, attitude, and interventions. The significance of sleep promotion and factors leading to critical care nurses in Malaysia not promoting sleep among ICU patients needs to be rectified.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In Malaysia, the rates of mothers practising breastfeeding exclusively among babies at six months of age still do not achieve the Global Nutritional Targets 2025 which is 50%. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of breastfeeding intervention in improving breastfeeding outcomes. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design was used involving a purposive sample of 96 primigravidas (intervention group (IG) = 48, control group (CG) = 48) recruited at Hospital USM. Data were collected using the Breastfeeding Assessment Questionnaire. Mothers in IG received the current usual care and two hours of an additional education programme on breastfeeding, breastfeeding booklet, notes from the module, and postnatal breastfeeding support in the first week of postpartum. Mothers in CG received the current usual care only. The mothers were assessed on the first and sixth week and then the fourth and sixth month of postpartum. RESULTS: The results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups on the fourth month postpartum (X2 = 5.671, P = 0.017) in practicing full breastfeeding. The breastfeeding duration rates of the IG were longer than those of the CG. However, the results showed only two follow-up weeks that were significant (week 6, X2 = 5.414, P = 0.020, month 4, X2 = 7.515, P = 0.006). There was a statistically significant difference between IG and CG as determined by one-way ANCOVA on the breastfeeding duration after controlling age and occupation, F (3, 82) = 6.7, P = 0.011. The test revealed that the breastfeeding duration among IG was significantly higher (20.80 ± 6.31) compared to CG (16.98 ± 8.97). CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding intervention can effectively increase breastfeeding duration and exclusivity outcomes among primiparous mothers.