Level Of Caring Practices of Nurses Toward Postpartum Mothers in Maimbung, Sulu: Basis for a Training Program.

This study aimed to determine the caring practices of nurses towards postpartum mothers and to find out whether there is any relationship between the caring practices of the nurses and their demographic characteristics. In particular, the study evaluated the level of empathy and emotional support, communication, patient education and guidance, and caring behavior of the nurses in their postpartum care activities. A quantitative descriptive–correlational research design was used, and the subjects were fifty (50) registered nurses assigned to the hospital's maternal and postpartum care units through purposive sampling. The data collection instruments used were a researcher-made questionnaire, based on Jean Watson's theory of human caring, and an observation checklist. Data on the profile and caring practices of the respondents were obtained from descriptive statistics, namely frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The relationship between some demographic variables and caring practices was examined using Pearson correlation analysis. Results showed that nurses' caring practice was significantly high in all dimensions measured, with communication skills being the highest. Correlation analysis also showed no significant relationship between demographic factors of age, gender, and years of experience and the overall level of caring practices. This study indicates that the postpartum care nurses provide is always compassionate, holistic, and patient-centered despite demographic characteristics. The study suggests that ongoing professional development and competency-based training should be given to further enhance caring behavior, communication, and patient education practices among nurses attending to postpartum mothers.