54th Annual General and Scientific Conference of the Paediatrics Association of Nigeria (PANCONF), 17th - 21st January, 2023
Abstract
Background: Preterm infants derive several benefits from early administration of buccal colostrum (EAC) but may be deprived of these benefits if Paediatricians and Neonatologists do not actively practice it in neonatal units.
Aim: To determine the knowledge and practice of EAC in the care of preterm infants among Paediatricians and Neonatologists in Nigeria.
Methods: A questionnaire-based descriptive study carried out at the 2022 annual scientific conference of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine (NISONM). The questionnaire assessed the knowledge, practice and challenges encountered in the EAC for preterm infants among study participants.
Results: Forty-one respondents completed the questionnaires with a M: F of 1:1.7. Thirty-three (80.5%) of the study participants had a good knowledge of EAC, while 29 (70.7%) practiced it their neonatal units. Out of the 33 participants who had good knowledge of EAC, 24 (72.7%)were currently working in the neonatal unit compared to 9 (27.3%) who were not currently working
in a neonatal unit (p = 0.012). The majority (58%) of study participants who practiced EAC did so routinely and was administered mostly (55.2%) by the nurses in their neonatal units. Challenges encountered in the practice of EAC include mothers’ unwillingness to express colostrum (48.8%) and inadequate neonatal staff (31.7%).
Conclusion: The knowledge of early administration of buccal colostrum among the study participants was good, though this did not translate into the same level of practice.
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