Published Paper Details:

Introduction: Water birth is an emerging natural birthing technique increasingly recognized for its benefits in reducing labor pain, enhancing maternal comfort, and promoting positive birth outcomes. Despite global popularity, its adoption in India remains limited due to a lack of awareness and trained professionals. Nursing professionals, as key players in maternal care, require updated knowledge and attitudes towards water birth to ensure safe and effective implementation. Objective: The study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of nursing professionals regarding water birth, evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching programme, and examine associations with demographic variables. Methods: A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design was used. A total of 96 nursing professionals from selected hospitals and nursing colleges participated through non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and a modified Likert attitude scale. Results: Pre-intervention, 73.96% of participants had average knowledge and 58.33% had moderately favorable attitudes. Post-intervention, 56.25% showed good knowledge and 66.67% demonstrated improved attitudes. Paired t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements in both knowledge (t=8.08, p<0.001) and attitude (t=5.44, p<0.001). Significant associations were found between knowledge and experience, prior exposure, and interest in further training. Conclusion: The structured teaching programme was effective in enhancing knowledge and attitude regarding water birth among nursing professionals.