Educational Intervention for an Evidence-Based Nursing Practice of Skin-to-Skin Contact at Birth.

Abstract

This article presents the development and evaluation of an educational intervention aiming at an evidence-based practice of skin-to-skin contact at birth among nurses of a maternity care unit. Based on the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Quality Care, four educational sessions were developed according to an active-learning pedagogy. Even if the nurses' practice did not fully meet the recommendations for skin-to-skin contact, a pre- and postintervention evaluation showed some positive results, such as a longer duration of skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, delivery of some routine care directly on mothers' chest, and improved parent education. The educational intervention seems to have enacted some evidence-based nursing practice changes regarding skin-to-skin contact at birth.