The usual observations that are part of nursing care in a premature unit remain part of the normal nursing duties in our KMC unit. We have also introduced a special score sheet which helps us to evaluate the progress of mother and baby daily.
This score sheet was originally compiled for the Intra-Hospital KMC Training Programme in Bogotá, Colombia. We have adapted it to our needs and its function is to assist the nursing and medical staff in their decision as to when a mother and baby are ready for discharge.
Overleaf is an example of the pre-discharge daily score sheet used at Kalafong Hospital to determine the readiness of a mother-infant pair for discharge from hospital.
Babies are weighed daily and the weight gain is scored. The mother is evaluated according to her breastfeeding abilities, breast milk production, knowledge of KMC, acceptance and application of KMC, confidence in handling her baby and administration of medications. The score sheet has also been adapted for mothers who do not breastfeed.