The Perspective of Midwives about Kangaroo Mother Care on the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

Background: Ghana currently does not have neonatal nurses. The care of the newborn is therefore the responsibility of the midwife. Due to scarce resources, the health sector is using cost effective measures that will help meet the health needs of people including the newborn. One of these is Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). KMC is the skin-to-skin contact between the mother and her newborn especially the preterm/premature and those with low birth weight. It therefore demands that the midwife has the right orientation and perspective about KMC. Aim: The aim of this study was to bring to light the perspective midwives of the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region about Kangaroo Mother Care. Methodology: The study was a qualitative explorative descriptive study. The target population was all midwives in the District. The sampling method was purposive. The study was based on the Conceptual framework for KMC. The sample size was fourteen (14) midwives. Interviews were used to collect data and thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: The findings of this study indicated that midwives need to provide a conducive environment for the practice of KMC. This involves the provision of information to mothers, making sure that there is support and the provision of resources like a cloth to tie the baby in KMC position. They also indicated that midwives should play the role of acquiring knowledge about KMC, teaching and providing support to the family. The study further brought to light that the mother needs to be free of all illnesses-both pathogenic and non pathogenic. As part of maternal requirements the midwives indicated that, the decision to practice KMC solely lies with the mother. A baby for KMC should be preterm or weigh below 2.5kg at birth and should not have any illness. The results also indicated that, there is the need to ensure teamwork among staff and education of those who do not have adequate information about KMC. Whiles some participants perceive KMC as effective, others doubted this. Finally, some of the midwives perceive KMC as substandard form of treatment and should be the preserve of poor communities. This was however disputed by other participants. Conclusion: The study provided insight into how policy makers, planners and managers can improve the practice of kangaroo.