Kangaroo Mother Care technology as a boon to tertiary care hospital in western Maharashtra.

Abstract

Background: Hospital neonatal intensive care of LBW babies is difficult in developing countries and infants become a burden for health and social systems. In kangaroo mother care, the mother acts as an incubator and the main source of food and stimulation for LBW infants. Government Medical College, Kolhapur in Maharashtra caters largest part of health care to the population of western Maharashtra. Objectives: To study the effects of kangaroo mother care on growth pattern of low birth weight babies and on risk factors for illness in LBW. Methods and Material: This retrospective cohort study was performed on medical record of 120 neonates in one year duration at tertiary care hospital. Babies who received Kangaroo Mother Care were grouped as KMC group and the babies who were in neonatal intensive care with conventional management grouped as CMC. Primary outcome variable was growth pattern which was measured by weight gain, length gain and increase in head circumference. Secondary measures included risk of hypothermia, sepsis, apnea, hypoglycemia and duration of hospitalization. The data was analysed by using Epi info 3.5.1 software package. The p values less than 0.05 were taken as statistically significant. Results: The daily weight gain in LBW babies in KMC (25.28gm