Acceptability of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in neonatal transport: a qualitative study on mothers’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on KMC transport in Ghana

In limited-resource settings, the lack of ambulances and transport incubators increases the risk of adverse outcomes in transported preterm and low-birth-weight neonates. The Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) position during transport using available transport modes may be a cost-effective alternative. Mothers’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the intervention are key to its successful implementation. This qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana. The study involved mothers and healthcare professionals who participated in a larger study evaluating the feasibility of KMC for transporting preterm and low-birth-weight infants from peripheral maternity units to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for specialist care. A thematic analysis was performed using an inductive approach. NVivo 12 was used to support the data analysis. A total of 16 respondents, including 10 mothers who used KMC during transfer and 6 healthcare professionals involved in KMC transfer, participated in the study. All the mothers interviewed expressed their willingness to participate in the study and to use KMC to transport their babies, even though they had not previously used it. The overriding reason for mothers becoming involved was the opportunity to help other mothers and to contribute to saving newborn lives. The mothers perceived KMC transport as empowering, comforting, and secure. Some challenges to KMC transport identified were maternal tiredness from long journeys, maternal anxiety about weather conditions, inability to see their baby’s face, community resistance and stigmatisation, and a lack of maximum maternal comfort. Both mothers and healthcare professionals were overwhelmingly in favour of the intervention and agreed that enhanced education was vital to improving awareness and implementation. Understanding the perspectives of mothers and healthcare professionals is vital for implementing cost-effective interventions to enhance neonatal outcomes, especially in resource-limited settings. The high acceptability of KMC transport in a Sub-Saharan African country provides relevant, context-specific evidence that supports expanding research into its large-scale implementation. ISRCTN98748162. Retrospectively registered 02.09.2024.