Background: The newborn's mother is the key person who takes care and fulfills the
needs of the newborn either physiological or psychological. Therefore, it is essential to apply
instructional programs that appreciate mothers to have the correct knowledge, home care
practice, and attitude to raise their healthy children. Aim: To evaluate
the effect of
instructional guidelines on mothers' knowledge and practice regarding their
neonatal care.
Subjects and Methods: Design: A quasi- experimental research design was
used. Setting:
The study was conducted in maternal and child health centers at Sohag City
(Dar E Salam
Abdallah health center). Sample: Α Purposive sample of 150 newborns and
their mothers.
Tool for data collection: A structured interview questionnaire, which included three parts;
(I) demographic characteristics; (II) mothers' knowledge and (III) the reported practice
(pre/post) regarding breast feeding, thermal control, skin care, and cord care. Results: The
main source of information for mothers was their family. Ther was an improvement of
mothers' knowledge regarding all aspects of care of their neonates before and after
implementation of instructional guidelines. there was a statistically significant difference in
mothers' reported care practices of their neonates before and after implementation of the
instructional guidelines regarding breastfeeding, kept warm practice, skin care practice, and
cord care practices. Conclusion: Instructional guidelines had а positive effect on mothers'
knowledge and reported practice regarding neonatal care. Recommendations: Instructional
guidelines regarding neonatal care should
be applied for newly mothers during antenatal
period.