Effect of a design training program on midwives' knowledge about postnatal care at Al Helal Al Emaraty Maternity Hospital, Gaza Strip – Palestine

Having adequate knowledge by midwives about postnatal care is very important for the safety of mother and her baby. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a designed education program on midwives’ knowledge about postnatal care. Methodology: The study used one group pretest, posttest experimental design. The study used two samples: First sample (convenience) used to assess knowledge by questionnaire included 181 midwives from all the maternity hospitals in GS, and the second sample (census) included all the midwives )76 midwives) who are working in Al Emaraty Maternity Hospital and attended the education program for one month. The researcher collected data in two stages: before the education program (pretest) and after the education program (posttest). The researcher conducted a pilot study on 30 midwives to check validity and reliability of the questionnaire and alpha coefficient was 0.891. The researcher used SPSS version 25 for statistical analysis. Results: 32.9% of study participants aged less than 30 years, 76.3% of study participants have bachelor degree, 78.9% of study participants are married, 36.8% have an experience of 5 years and less, and 72.4% have an income of 1800 NIS and less. There was statistically significant increase in participants’ knowledge about immediate postnatal care after the education program (m= 0.98) compared to knowledge before the educational program (m= 0.93). Also, there was statistically significant increase in participants’ knowledge about care provided to the mothers and babies after one hour post-delivery after the education program (m= 0.98) compared to knowledge before the educational program (m= 0.90). Moreover, there was statistically significant increase in participants’ knowledge about health education and discharge planning after the education program (m= 0.99) compared to knowledge before the educational program (m= 0.88). There were statistically no significant differences in knowledge score before and after the education program related to age, level of education, marital status, years of experience, income, and previous training. Conclusion: The study concluded that the education program successfully enhanced midwives' knowledge in various aspects of postnatal care, contributing to improved maternal and newborn health outcomes. Recommendations: The study recommended the need for continuous monitoring and evaluation of knowledge levels, which will help identify the training needs and ensure the delivery of high-quality care to mothers and newborns.