Effect of a supportive-educative nursing intervention programme on knowledge of chlorhexidine gel for umbilical cord management amongst mothers in Cross River State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Umbilical cord infection contributes significantly to neonatal mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have shown low knowledge of chlorhexidine (CHX) gel for umbilical cord management amongst mothers in low-resource settings, including Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a supportive-educative nursing intervention programme on knowledge of CHX gel amongst mothers in Cross River State, Nigeria. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study design was used, and study participants comprised 168 expectant mothers, who were purposely selected and assigned to randomised control and intervention groups. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-developed structured questionnaire. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 for descriptive and inferential statistics at significant level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The result showed that at post-test the knowledge score of mothers on CHX gel improved significantly in the intervention group (t 77 = 24.394; p < 0.05). The result showed no significant difference between mothers’ demographic variables and knowledge of CHX gel. CONCLUSION: A supportive-educative nursing intervention programme could effectively improve knowledge of CHX gel for umbilical cord management amongst mothers. This underscores the need to improve mothers’ knowledge of CHX gel by healthcare personnel.