Impact of Booklet Regarding Rooming – In Among Nursing Students in a Selected Nursing College in Bangalore

Abstract

The postnatal period is a critical phase for both the mother and the newborn, during which appropriate care and bonding are essential for the well-being of both. One important concept in modern maternal and newborn care is “rooming in,” which refers to the practice of keeping the newborn in the same room with the mother 24 hours a day, instead of separating them into a nursery. This practice supports early initiation and continuation of breastfeeding, strengthens the maternal-infant bond, enhances the mother's confidence in newborn care, and reduces hospital-acquired infections in newborns. Rooming-in is strongly recommended by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) as part of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). Despite these recommendations, the implementation of rooming-in varies across healthcare settings, and nursing students may have limited knowledge or understanding about its benefits, leading to gaps in effective maternal-newborn care. Nursing students, as future healthcare providers, play a vital role in promoting evidence-based practices such as rooming-in. Educating them at an early stage ensures better clinical practice and advocacy for newborn care. Providing a structured and easily understandable information booklet can serve as an effective educational intervention to enhance their knowledge and positively influence their attitudes toward rooming-in. This study is therefore undertaken to assess the impact of an information booklet on the knowledge level of nursing students regarding rooming-in. By comparing pre-test and post-test knowledge scores and evaluating associations with socio demographic factors, the study aims to determine the effectiveness of the booklet as a teaching-learning tool