Examination of the Appropriateness of Teaching Materials for Preventing Dangers during Ablution and Bathing of Infants by Mothers and Family Members

Purpose: This study aimed to develop teaching materials to prevent the dangers of ablution and bathing infants, based on the dangerous experiences of mothers and family members, and examine their appropriateness. Methods: A total of 20 midwives and public health nurses were selected as participants. Teaching materials and anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed, and the participants were asked to view the teaching materials and fill in the questionnaires. Retrieval was done by mail. The teaching materials included digital content, such as videos, sounds, and characters, which incorporated dangerous situations, preventions, and innovations in ablution and bathing procedures. The analysis was conducted by simple tabulation for each survey item. The free description was coded to preserve anonymity. This study was conducted with the approval of the Research Ethics Review Board of the authors’ affiliated university. Results: The teaching materials were found to be appropriate in terms of suitability to purpose, degree of difficulty of content, ease of viewing the videos, validity of time, appropriateness of expression, and usability. Conclusions: Ablution teaching materials that are used at the present time do not focus on dangers, and to date, no resources on bathing have been used as teaching materials. The created teaching materials in this study can be viewed multiple times, and mothers and family members who are unfamiliar with ablution and bathing can acquire knowledge regarding dangers and danger prevention. The addition of specific preventive measures and countermeasures for the occurrence of danger, along with practice, would result in the development of further appropriate teaching materials to reduce danger and alleviate anxiety.

A Survey of Dangers Experienced by Mothers and Families of Infants Aged 3 - 4 Months during Ablution and Bathing

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the dangers experienced by mothers and families of infants aged 3 - 4 months in Japan during ablution and bathing. Method: We distributed an anonymous, self-reported questionnaire at infants’ 3 - 4-month health checkup, which was collected via postal service. 170 valid responses were received and formed our sample data. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed for each category surveyed. Inferential statistics were used to compare the dangerous incidents experienced with regard to differences between primi/multipara and the presence/absence of guidance concerning such incidents. This study was approved by the research ethics committees of the affiliated university. Results: 60.0% of mothers and families experienced dangers while washing their infant in a baby tub or similar apparatus (ablution), and 64.9% did while bathing their infant in the normal bath. For ablution, the most common dangers were, in order, nearly dropping the infant in the water and nearly getting soap suds in the mouth. For bathing, these were nearly getting soap suds in the mouth, near submersion of the face, and nearly dropping the infant in the water. The percentage of mothers and families who did not receive instruction regarding potential dangers and their prevention was 55.9% for ablution and 81.8% for bathing. Conclusion: This study revealed the dangers experienced by mothers and families of infants aged 3 - 4 months in Japan during ablution and bathing. Further consideration into the prevention of these dangers is necessary.