The effect of postpartum home teaching on knowledge of infant care

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of postpartum home teaching on primiparous women's knowledge of infant care. Twenty-one low-risk primigravidae women were randomly placed in a control or experimental group. Subjects in the experimental group viewed a videotaped program on infant care a second time, at home on the third day postpartum. Tests were administered prior to hospital discharge, on the third day postpartum, and at 28-32 days postpartum. A short interview was conducted to obtain opinions regarding videotaped educational materials. The subjects (n = 21) retained most of the information presented after the first viewing and expressed satisfaction with the educational format. The results were not statistically significant, though mean test scores increased over the three test intervals.