Cultural Practices of Rearing Preterm Infants: a Qualitative Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

Volume 6 Issue 4 November - January 2017

Research Paper

Cultural Practices of Rearing Preterm Infants: a Qualitative Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

Samin Sulaiman*, Ambreen Tharani**, Sharifa Lalani***, Kiran Shaikh****

* Research Scholar, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

**-**** Assistant Professor, Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Karachi Pakistan.

Sulaiman, S., Tharani, A., Lalani, S., and Shaikh, K. (2017). Cultural Practices of Rearing Preterm Infants: a Qualitative Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. i-manager’s Journal on Nursing, 6(4), 6-13. https://doi.org/10.26634/jnur.6.4.10339

Abstract

The research work explores the cultural practices of feeding and hygiene of preterm infants in the Pakistani context. A Qualitative descriptive-exploratory design has been used. Purposive sampling was utilized to recruit 17 mothers, who met inclusion criteria from a largest government tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The semi-structured interview was used to collect the data, which lasted for approximately 45-60 minutes. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the key findings of the study. Welcoming newborn with 'honey' and herbal remedies were reported as a common ritual among mothers. Findings revealed differences in the time period of initial bath given to the preterm, ranges from 3 days to 1 month. These custom variations of rearing preterm have its own meaning in the prescribed culture; however, these customs are the insights to explore more on its effects on infants' health. This study provides useful insights into several practices of cultures, which serve as the determinants of infants' nutrition and health status. It provides an insight to the health care professionals to provide quality care to preterm infants.