Teaching infant resuscitation skills to mothers

This paper describes the evaluation of a program designed to teach basic infant resuscitation skills to mothers during the period of postnatal hospitalization. Data collected from participants before and immediately after the program, and at six months, follow-up indicated that knowledge of resuscitation techniques had moderately improved, however there was a substantial increase in participants' confidence and an associated reduction in anxiety. An additional aspect of the evaluation was to identify any logistical problems; data obtained from postnatal midwifery staff indicated none were evident. It was concluded that the Infant Resuscitation Education Program should be implemented for all mothers of newborn infants.