THE ROLE OF NURSING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TO STUDY PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PURULENT-SEPTIC DISEASES OF NEWBORNS IN PLANNING PREVENTIVE MEASURES

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RELEVANCE

The problem of neonatal sepsis has become relevant again in the last decade. The urgency of the problem is due to the high infectious morbidity and mortality in the neonatal period [1]. Currently, sepsis is the most urgent problem in pediatrics and neonatology [2, 3]. Firstly, this is due to the lack of objective statistics on the frequency of sepsis in the structure of morbidity and mortality among newborns. Secondly, it is associated with a general increase in sepsis, which is associated with an increased risk of infection of newborns and the survival of premature infants with low and very low body weight. In addition, sepsis is the most common cause of disagreement between clinicians and morphologists due to the lack of reliable criteria for this pathology [3].

That is why in the presence of primary or secondary septic foci in older children and adults, as a rule, it does not cause difficulties in diagnosis. At the same time, the concept of "bacterial sepsis of a newborn" as a separate nosological form, in which in most cases it is very difficult to determine the primary foci of infection. In this regard, it is necessary to pay special attention to the development of methods for the prevention and treatment of GSI in newborns, in particular in premature infants, timely detect infections in pregnant women, observe anti-epidemic measures and personal hygiene rules in maternity hospitals, conduct microbiological monitoring of women in labor and newborns, as well as immediately hospitalize children with signs of infectious toxicosis and foci of inflammation [4, 5]. Having revealed the level of knowledge about GSI in the population, it is possible to plan preventive measures and increase the level of alertness to this disease in young parents [6, 7].

PURPOSE

To determine the level of awareness of the GSI of newborns among the population for planning preventive measures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The methods of the survey (voluntary questionnaire) and statistical processing of the results were used in the work. The questionnaire included 14 questions that most clearly gave an idea about the care of children in the first months of life, the risks of development and prevention of sepsis, etc. The study was carried out in the autumn of 2021 in Volgograd. 50 people participated in the survey, of which 41 were women and 9 were men. The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 45 years.

RESULTS

The survey showed that 76% of respondents do not know what sepsis and purulent-septic diseases of newborns are. 56% of respondents found it difficult to answer the question about the signs of GSI, the rest gave the following answers: high fever - 88%, baby crying - 64%, skin discoloration - 32%, decreased appetite - 16%, rash - 10%. Also, more than half of the respondents could not answer the question about the cause of GSI of newborns, but many (more than 30%) assumed that it was a bacterial infection. Among the respondents, the question about the factors that increase the risk of developing purulent-septic diseases caused difficulty, more often assumed: non-compliance with hygiene rules (64%), the presence of infectious diseases in the mother (38%), the presence of "contamination" of the living space (26%), "frequent guests" (22%), immunodeficiency conditions (10%).

The respondents were also asked about measures to prevent neonatal sepsis, during which it turned out that 38% chose to perform routine hygiene measures, 34% - prevention of infections in the maternity hospital, 20% - careful care of the baby in the neonatal period, 36% - found it difficult to answer. When asked about the treatment of sepsis and purulent-septic diseases of newborns, it turned out that 38% of respondents believe that these are bandages with antibiotics and healing drugs, 28% - sanitation of purulent foci located in soft tissues by opening abscesses and boils, 10% - antipyretic, 6% - only antibiotics, 4% - hormones, 18% - found it difficult to answer. At the same time, 100% of respondents answered that it is necessary to treat GSI only in hospitals!

As a result of the study, it was revealed that 38% of respondents received information about purulent-septic diseases of newborns on the Internet, 20% - from special medical literature, 18% - from conversations with health workers, 12% - from TV shows, the rest were not interested in this topic at all. Summing up the results of the study, we can say that more than half of the population is not aware, and they are not interested in information about purulent-septic diseases of newborns.

DISCUSSION

According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that modern society regularly uses the Internet to obtain any information, as a result of which it learns more data from the Internet than from medical professionals or surrounding people. This does not always have a positive effect on the level of "medical literacy" of the population. Because using unverified sites, you can get false information that can have an extremely negative impact on the health of the population. It also turned out that many respondents do not know about the treatment and prevention of purulent-septic diseases of newborns, more than half of the respondents are not interested in this topic, which indicates a low level of public interest in the health of newborns, and this can lead to harmful consequences, late diagnosis, poor prognostic criteria for the treatment of "neglected" cases of GSI.

CONCLUSION

Sepsis and purulent-septic diseases remain one of the urgent problems of neonatology. This is due to both a variety of functional and structural disorders, and a wide range of damaging factors. The incidence of purulent-inflammatory diseases in newborns remains at a high level. One of the important factors in preventing purulent-inflammatory diseases in newborns is strict compliance with the sanitary and epidemiological regime in obstetric institutions. It is equally important to have conversations with expectant moms and dads about the rules of newborn skin care, umbilical wound, rules for bathing a newborn, the peculiarities of the organization of the environment for newborns. It is better to find out this information from medical professionals or on medical forums / websites where you can get reliable data. A nurse, having conducted a study of the level of knowledge of the population about such a formidable disease, can draw up a plan of preventive conversations using modern and up-to-date data, prepare appropriate materials and place them on paper or electronic media for the convenience of the population.

During the first months of life, a child needs special care to avoid infectious diseases, in particular, hygienic care: keeping the skin and mucous membranes clean, using special children's cosmetics, in this it is necessary to rely on the opinion of medical professionals, and not the advice of "neighbors / friends". A significant frequency and high mortality in some forms of such diseases require increased attention of medical professionals, parents' alertness and compliance with the rules of newborn care. Timely, active treatment can prevent a tragic outcome.

About the authors

Antonina Alekcandrovna Molchanova

Author for correspondence.
Email: antoninaaleksandrovna7@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2684-2292
SPIN-code: 6814-8463
Russian Federation

References