الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The neonatal period is very critical time especially, for infants who require admission to neonatal intensive care units. Whereas, neonates are exposed to frequent handling and many invasive procedures threatening skin integrity. Maintaining skin integrity and prevention of skin injuries shorten the hospitalization period and help to avoid many complications for the neonate. Most the skin injuries can be completely avoided through efficient nursing care therefore, protection of skin integrity and prevention of acquired skin injuries get to be a priority in the care of neonates who admit to the Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Skincare represents a strong sign of nurses’ competence in the care of neonates. Aim of the study: The aim of study aimed to determine the effect of an educational program on nurses’ performance regarding acquired skin injuries at neonatal intensive care units. Research hypothesis: Implementation of the educational program is expected to improve nurses’ performance regarding acquired skin injuries at neonatal intensive care units. Subjects and methods: Research design: Quasi-experimental research design was used to conduct this study. Research settings: The current study was conducted at the intensive care units of Tanta university hospital and Itay Elbaroud general hospital. Research subjects: Convenient sample of 90 nurses working at previously mentioned settings. Fifty from Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Tanta university Hospital and forty from Itay Elbaroud General Hospital. Tools of data collection: Data were collected using two tools: Tool (1): Structured interview schedule: - It was designed by the researcher based on the relevant review of the literature. It consisted of two parts: Part (1): Socio-demographic characteristics of the nurses such as; age sex, marital status, educational level, years of experience at neonatal intensive care units and whether they had attended any neonatal training courses. Part (2): Nurses’ knowledge about the anatomy of the skin, predisposing factors for acquiring skin injuries, prevention of skin injuries, neonatal skin care and management of acquired skin injuries at neonatal intensive care units. Tool (2): - an observational checklist It was developed by the researcher and was used to assess nursing interventions pre, post and three months after implementation of an educational program. regarding: Infection control measures, routine skin care practices and assessment of the skin. The results of the study can be summarized as the following: - It was found that the mean age of the studied nurses was 26.71 ± 3.1years. - All the studied were female. - Regarding nurses’ education, more than half of them (63.3%) graduated from the faculty of nursing. - More than half of the nurses (55.6%) attended courses related to neonatal care. - Concerning years of experience in the neonatal intensive care units, (33.3%) of the nurses had 1<2 years of experience with mean years of experience 3.59 ± 2.8 years. - The findings of the current study revealed that more than one-third (36.7%)of the studied nurses had a poor level of knowledge about acquired skin injuries before the implementation of the program. On the other hand, more than three-quarters of nurses (82.2%)had a good level of knowledge immediately after the program. - Concerning practice about (43.3%) had satisfactory practice prior to the educational program implementation that improved to 82.2% of nurses who had a satisfactory level of practice after attendance of the educational sessions. - This study revealed that there was a positive correlation between the knowledge of the studied nurses and their practices. The current study demonstrated that there was a significant statistically positive relation between nurses’ level of knowledge and their educational qualifications. Based on the findings of the current study, it was concluded that: The educational program was effective in improving nurses’ knowledge and practices related to the care of neonatal skin and the prevention of acquired skin injuries. Moreover, there was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between total scores of knowledge and practice related to the prevention of acquired skin injuries and the skin care of the neonates in the NICUs. Based on the findings of the present study, it was recommended that: 1 -Emphasis on the early detecting of the risk factors for acquiring skin injuries in the NICUs in each individual neonate. 2- Integrating the preventive measures for acquired skin injuries in the routine care of the neonate. 3- Including all the items of neonatal skin care in the continuous educational programs for the nurses working in the intensive care units. helps to enhance nurses’ knowledge and practice and prevents the occurrence of skin injuries.