Low birthweight babies in the Third World: Maternal nursing versus professional nursing care

Severe nursing shortage adds to the high mortality of low birthweight babie s in developing countries. To study the efficacy of maternal nursing care w e conducted a prospective matched case-control study. Outcome was compared in low birthweight babies nursed by mothers (mothers' group, n = 151, cases ), versus professional nurses (nurses' group, n = 211, controls). Irrespect ive of condition on admission, weight gain was significantly higher (p < 0. 001) and overall mortality rate significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the moth ers' group. Mortality was also lower in the mothers' group for babies with pathological Jaundice, skin/umbilical sepsis, and no disease except low bir thweight (p < 0.001). Intercurrent diarrhoea, aspiration pneumonia, and sep ticaemia did not differ. Training mothers to nurse their low birthweight ba bies can significantly reduce mortality rates and decrease workload on nurs es. Policy formulation using this approach can save costs in developing cou ntries.