The Impact of a Growth Measurement Training Program on the Use of Length Boards in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Objective: Nutritional assessment of infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) depends on the performance of accurate, serial anthropometric measurements. In this Level IV NICU, nurses used tape measures more often than length boards making the length measurements inaccurate. The purpose of this study is to determine if an in-person, hands-on length board training program versus a self-instruction poster education, increases the use of length boards to measure length in NICU infants.

Methods: Two nursing in-service education training sessions on how to correctly use a length board were held with the NICU staff over two separate two (2-week) periods. One session consisted of a self-direct education training method. The second education method was an in-person interactive learning experience with hands on practice. At the end of each education session, the participants completed the same four-question post-test. One month later, data was collected for one month following each of the training periods on the tool used to obtain linear measurements on infants in the NICU.

Statistics: A 2x2 contingency table was constructed using the two qualitative variables of length board uses after the poster education versus length board uses after the live in-service education. Analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 ™ statistical software. Chi squared equals 93.980 with 1 degree of freedom. P-value <0.0001.

Results: The month following the self-directed poster education, two hundred ninety-one (291) or 92% measurements were obtained using a tape measure and 19 (7%) obtained using a length board. The month following the interactive, in-service training, one hundred forty-eight (148) or 57% measurements were obtained using a tape measure and 105 (41%) with a length board. Thirty five percent (35%) more length measurements were obtained using a length board after the line in-service training (P-value <0.0001).

Conclusion: Nurses in a Level IV Newborn Intensive Care Unit utilized length boards significantly more after a live in-service education than after a self-directed education.