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Clinical management and knowledge of neonatal hypoglycaemia in Germany: A national survey of midwives and nurses
Author(s) -
Roeper Marcia,
Salimi Dafsari Roschan,
Hoermann Henrike,
Hoehn Thomas,
Kummer Sebastian,
Meissner Thomas
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/jpc.15337
Subject(s) - medicine , neonatal nursing , family medicine , health professionals , health care , pediatrics , nursing , neonatal intensive care unit , economics , economic growth
Aim Despite being a common metabolic condition, the detection and care of neonatal hypoglycaemia in Germany largely depends on the infant's health‐care provider, rather than a national protocol. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate midwives' and nurses' knowledge and management of neonatal hypoglycaemia and to determine the need for national guidelines. Methods An anonymous online survey was developed and completed by 127 perinatal nurses and midwives. Descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney‐ U , χ 2 and Fisher's exact tests were used to summarise and analyse the results. Results In total, 82% of respondents indicated using guidelines but routine blood glucose screening for neonates at risk for hypoglycaemia was rarely reported (44%). A blood glucose concentration of 2.5 mmol/L (45 mg/dL) was considered the treatment threshold by 52% of the respondents. However, the responses to clinical scenarios showed distinct differences regarding the management of neonatal hypoglycaemia. Finally, 49% of respondents reported insufficient knowledge regarding neonatal hypoglycaemia and 77% indicated that they would advocate the implication of enhanced national guidelines. Conclusions There is considerable variation in knowledge about the prevention, screening and management of neonatal hypoglycaemia among nurses and midwives in Germany. Enhanced guidelines and education of health‐care professionals are urgently needed to provide the best possible care to all hypoglycaemic newborns.