Assessment of Nurses' Knowledge and Practice Regarding the Care of Newborn Infants on Mechanical Ventilators in Baghdad City, Iraq

Background: Neonatal Nurses caring on Mechanical ventilators present special challenges and must be competent and increase their Nursing care quality for newborn infants on mechanical ventilation, this is important in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality rate in Iraq. So, the research aimed to evaluate the nurses' understanding and practice related to the care of the newborn using a mechanical ventilator in Baghdad City/ Iraq. Research Design: We used for this study a descriptive research design. Study settings: this research was conducted at the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Ibn AL- Baladi Teaching Hospital, Central Children's Hospital, and Welfare Children Teaching Hospital in Baghdad City /Iraq. Research Subject: A convenient sample consisting of 40 nurses from the aforementioned settings was provided. Two tools were utilized to acquire data Results: This study illustrated that fewer than half of the nurses involved in the study (40%) had a decent practice level, while only (20%) had strong knowledge related to the care of newborn infants on mechanical ventilation. there was a positive weak correlation (r=0.297). Conclusion: The total knowledge score of the studied nurses and their overall practice score showed a statistically significant positive weak correlation Regarding the Care of the Newborn infant Mechanical Ventilator.