Assessing clinicians' knowledge and confidence to perform kangaroo care and positive touch in a tertiary neonatal unit in England using the Neonatal Unit Clinician Assessment Tool (NUCAT)

Family centred care (FCC) is a guiding principle of the UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and supports the practice of kangaroo care (KC) and positive touch (PT). We describe how clinicians in a tertiary hospital neonatal unit undertook a training needs analysis using the Neonatal Unit Clinician Assessment Tool (NUCAT), an on line knowledge test with ratings of confidence and knowledge in the practice of KC and PT. Fifty one medical and nursing staff completed NUCAT. Clinicians who spent 75% or more of their working week providing clinical care on the neonatal unit knew more about PT. Clinicians who received training in FCC practices had significantly more confidence in their knowledge and practice of KC and PT. Confidence in knowledge and practice in KC was significantly reduced when clinicians received their knowledge scores. There was no effect of feedback on confidence for PT. Interviews with six neonatal nurses identified a lack of formal training and evidence-based guidelines as impeding confidence of clinicians to implement both KC and PT.