Nurse’s perceptions about kangaroo care*
| Items | Disagree in ‘experienced in KC’ group, n (%) | Disagree in ‘not experienced in KC’ group, n (%) | P values | Agree in ‘experienced in KC’ group, n (%) | Agree in ‘not experienced in KC’ group, n (%) | P values |
| All preterm babies should be allowed to participate in KC regardless of gestational age | 68 (16.5) | 68 (15.1) | 0.776 | 241 (58.7) | 225 (50.0) | 0.824 |
| All preterm babies should be allowed to participate in KC regardless of weight | 73 (17.8) | 72 (16.0) | 0.373 | 228 (55.4) | 209 (46.4) | 0.622 |
| Babies receiving intravenous fluids should NOT be allowed to participate in KC | 285 (69.3) | 241 (53.6) | 0.161 | 46 (11.2) | 71 (15.7) | 0.035 |
| Babies who are intubated should NOT be allowed to participate in KC | 193 (47.0) | 170 (37.8) | 0.782 | 127 (30.9) | 163 (36.2) | 0.770 |
| Babies with umbilical catheters should NOT be allowed to participate in KC | 195 (47.4) | 168 (37.3) | 0.307 | 108 (26.3) | 138 (30.7) | 0.426 |
| KC encourages the parenting role | 11 (2.7) | 16 (3.6) | 0.410 | 371 (90.2) | 372 (82.6) | 0.454 |
| KC enhances the attachment process between parent and baby | 11 (2.7) | 12 (2.7) | 0.356 | 374 (91.0) | 383 (85.1) | 0.458 |
| KC increases the quality of care on our unit | 20 (4.9) | 41 (9.1) | 0.022 | 322 (78.3) | 277 (61.6) | 0.002 |
| KC interrupts patient caregiving | 222 (54.0) | 173 (38.4) | 0.636 | 81 (19.7) | 121 (26.9) | 0.526 |
| KC should be available only to breastfeeding mothers | 292 (71.0) | 264 (58.7) | 0.326 | 62 (15.1) | 82 (18.2) | 0.532 |
| KC is NOT feasible with some patients | 110 (26.8) | 70 (15.6) | 0.760 | 192 (46.7) | 245 (54.4) | 0.959 |
| KC keeps nurses too tied to the bedside | 167 (40.6) | 100 (22.3) | 0.012 | 89 (21.7) | 155 (34.4) | 0.014 |
| KC should be offered to all parents in the NICU | 74 (18.0) | 84 (18.6) | 0.216 | 231 (56.2) | 237 (52.7) | 0.199 |
| KC will benefit preterm babies | 13 (3.2) | 16 (3.5) | 0.753 | 366 (89.0) | 379 (84.3) | 0.751 |
| KC will help parents feel more confident in caring for their preterm baby | 10 (2.4) | 10 (2.2) | 0.771 | 367 (89.3) | 373 (82.9) | 0.846 |
| KC will improve the baby’s outcome | 13 (3.2) | 16 (3.5) | 0.715 | 344 (83.7) | 356 (79.2) | 0.443 |
| KC will interfere with the completion of my tasks | 177 (43.1) | 100 (22.2) | 0.485 | 96 (23.3) | 168 (37.4) | 0.197 |
| Learning about KC will help me be a better nurse | 21 (5.1) | 27 (6.0) | 0.603 | 329 (80.1) | 317 (70.4) | 0.551 |
| Modern-day NICUs are NOT the place for KC | 115 (28.0) | 50 (11.1) | 0.000 | 179 (43.5) | 299 (66.2) | 0.001 |
| Nurses look forward to introducing KC to a new parent | 13 (3.2) | 24 (5.3) | 0.013 | 342 (83.2) | 319 (70.9) | 0.003 |
| Our patients have adequate time for parent-baby contact without the use of KC | 109 (26.5) | 100 (22.2) | 0.771 | 153 (37.2) | 214 (47.6) | 0.973 |
| The increased amount of time required to prepare a baby for a KC session is out of proportion to the benefits | 169 (41.1) | 112 (24.8) | 0.567 | 107 (26.0) | 165 (36.8) | 0.371 |
| The teamwork required between nurses and parents when doing KC is worth the effort | 13 (3.2) | 11 (2.4) | 0.312 | 355 (86.3) | 353 (78.5) | 0.726 |
| There is NOT enough flexibility in the NICU to allow parents extended visits (>2 hours) for KC | 80 (19.5) | 49 (10.9) | 0.122 | 218 (53.0) | 277 (61.5) | 0.306 |
Experienced KMC (n=411); not experienced KMC (n=450).
*Based on the original literature review from the Kangaroo Care Questionnaire (Engler et al, 1999)17; p<0.05 was considered significant.
KC, kangaroo care; KMC, kangaroo mother care; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit.