Hend Abdelhady Salah El-Morsy^1,, Rabab El-Sayed Hassan El-Sayed², Magda Ahmed Abd El Aziz²

Background: Optimal nutritional management for low birth weight infants decreases postnatal catabolism, promotes growth, and improves neurodevelopmental outcomes. A guideline protocol about the ‎nutritional requirements is necessary to understand the practical knowledge related to feeding of these infants, decrease variation in knowledge among nurses, and promote the health outcomes for low birth weight infants. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effect of implementing a guideline protocol on nurses' knowledge about the ‎nutritional requirements of low birth weight infants. Research design: A quasi-experimental design was used. Setting: The study was conducted at the neonatal intensive care units affiliated to Health Insurance Hospital, Mansoura Old General Hospital, and ‎Mansoura New General Hospital in El - Mansoura City, Egypt. Sample: The study included a convenience sample of 59 nurses working in the previously mentioned study settings. Tool: Data were collected by using self- administered questionnaire sheet which composed of two parts. Part 1: Characteristics of the studied nurse. Part 2: Nurses' knowledge about nutritional requirements of low birth weight infants. Results: More than half of the studied nurses had insufficient knowledge about nutritional requirements of low birth weight infants, pre implementation of guideline protocol, while all of the studied nurses had a sufficient knowledge post implementation of guideline protocol, which revealed a significant differences. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in nurses' knowledge about the nutritional requirements of low birth weight infants post implementation of guideline protocol. Recommendation: Developing training programs regarding nutritional requirements of low birth weight infants depending on evidence-based guideline protocol for the nurses at neonatal intensive care units is important to improve their knowledge.

low birth weight infants, neonatal intensive care units, nurses' knowledge, nutritional requirements