Implementing kangaroo mother care in the preterm infant unit of Potchefstroom Hospital

Abstract

<p>The Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership Academy Africa (MCHNLA Africa) develops the leadership skills of maternal and child health nurses and midwives who work in a variety of healthcare settings. The academy prepares these nurses for effective interprofessional team leadership as they strive to improve the quality of healthcare for childbearing women and children up to 5 years old.&nbsp;&nbsp;The program is presented in cooperation with our funding partner Johnson &amp; Johnson.</p> <p>Nurses and Midwives from Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Uganda participate in an 18-month leadership academy. During MCHNLA Africa the mentees create and effectively lead an interdisciplinary team with the goal of improving maternal-child health practice outcomes. At the end of the academy the mentees present a poster detailing the outcomes of their project and how it improved maternal-child health outcomes.</p> <p>The leadership skills component of the academy is based on the research and teachings of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, as described in&nbsp;<em>The Leadership Challenge</em>&reg;. Their model proposes that leadership is a measurable, learnable, and teachable set of behaviors. The academy believes that these behaviors are learned best when applied to realistic settings. The academy is designed to operationalize these learned behaviors by assisting and supporting the&nbsp;Mentee&nbsp;in developing and implementing an interdisciplinary team project</p>