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Metas de Enfermería

Metas de Enfermería

NOVIEMBRE 2007 N° 9 Volumen 10

Use of antiseptics for umbilical cord care in Primary Care

Section: Cover story

How to quote

Tamame San Antonio M, Moraleda Asensio S, Jiménez Rubí MT, de la Torre Chavarri I. Uso de antisépticos en la cura umbilical en Atención Primaria

Authors

1Marta Tamame San Antonio, 2Sandra Moraleda Asensio, 3Mª Trinidad Jiménez Rumí, 4Isabel de la Torre Chavarri

Position

1Infermera de pediatría de la Corporació Sanitária Parc Taulí i Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu.2Enfermera de pediatría de la Corporació Parc Taulí.3Enfermera. Unidad d Neonatología y UCIP del Hospital de Sabadell. Corporación Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Barcelona.4Enfermera del ABS 1 de Santa Coloma de Gramanet.

Contact address

C/ Sarasate, 12, 3º-4ª. 08206 Sabadell (Barcelona).

Contact email: semuret@gmail.com

Abstract

Paediatric primary care offices, receive newborns that have been given different methods of umbilical cord care from different maternity centres. A search of the literature revealed that there were no differences between curing the umbilical wound with or without antiseptic with respect to the time the scab took to fall off or for complications to develop.
Objectives: to describe the standard practice in umbilical cord care in Health Care Districts in the city of Santa Coloma de Gramanet and Badalona, and to describe the professional knowledge on how to perform this procedure.
Design: observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study in a sample composed of paediatricians, midwives and paediatric nurses.
Methodology: data were collected by filling out an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.
Results: in 42% of maternity centres the preferred method is to maintain the site clean and dry and 29,9% of centres use alcohol. 74,6% of health professionals maintain the method started at the maternity centre and if the method is changed, 56,5% switch to alcohol. Moreover, half of the population states not to be updated on latest literature on this subject.
It was thus concluded that no standardised protocols existed in the surveyed primary care centres. The procedure for umbilical cord care without antiseptic is due to the influence of the reference hospital in the area.

Keywords:

umbilical cord; wound care; neonate; paediatricsPrimary Care

Versión en Español

Título:

Uso de antisépticos en la cura umbilical en Atención Primaria