ANALYSIS OF DETERMINANTS OF THE DURATION OF CARE FOR LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS IN HOSPITALS

Abstract

Low birth weight infants (LBWI) remain a public health issue in Indonesia. The complexity of health issues in low birth weight infants requires special care with a duration or length of stay that may take longer to improve their quality of life. Objective: to analyze the factors affecting the length of hospital stay for low birth weight infants (LBW) from the perspective of infant factors (gestational age, history of infant infection status, nutritional status, and kangaroo care method) and maternal factors (maternal attitudes and knowledge regarding LBW care). Method: Quantitative research design with a cross-sectional approach. The sample size is 115 respondents who were selected through simple random sampling, with inclusion criteria: babies born alive and not using a ventilator. The exclusion criteria are mothers who refuse to participate in the study. Results: The majority of hospital stays lasted 7 days (quick) (61%), categorized as low birth weight (LBW) with a weight of 1500-< 2500 grams (90.4%), preterm gestational age (76.5%). The majority did not experience any infections during treatment (87.9%). The type of nutrition was breast milk (60%). The regularity in implementing the kangaroo care method was almost the same, with those who did it at least 2 times for 2 hours/day. (49,6). The results of the chi-square analysis test showed significant values with p-value<0.05, namely low birth weight (LBW) (p=0.000), gestational age (p=0.008), infection status (p=0.001), and implementation of KMC (p=0.005). Conclusion: The factors affecting the length of hospital stay for low birth weight infants are the birth weight of the infant, gestational age at birth, history of infection status, and the regularity of implementing neonatal care.