Effectiveness of an Educational Program on Practice Change of Nurses Regarding Children with Moderate-To-Severe Dehydration Under Five Years

Abstract

Dehydration is a major factor in both illness and mortality in children. Nurses play a vital role in managing dehydration. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an educational program on nurses’ clinical practice on patients with moderate to severe dehydration. In this quasi-experimental study design, we divided 48 nurses into two groups equally: the experimental group was exposed to the educational program; the control group was not exposed to the educational program in Duhok and Zakho Cities/Iraqi Kurdistan (March 6, - June 12, 2022). The mean score of practice of the experimental group was significantly higher compared to the control group at the posttest step (27.71 vs. 2029; P<0.0001) and the second follow-up (26.63 vs. 20.96; P<0.0001). The experimental group had a significantly higher correct practice of dehydration practice than the children at the post-test and the second follow-up. The study showed that the level of practice score was significantly increased from the pretest to the posttest (20.96 vs. 20.29; p=0.0053) and from the posttest to the second follow-up (20.96 vs. 20.29; P=0.0174) in the control group. However, the practice level was significantly increased from the baseline to the posttest and posttest 2 in the experimental groups. The nurses in the surgical and medical wards had significantly higher practice scores compared to those in the NICU; 28.0 and 27.71 vs. 24.67, respectively.  The educational program is an effective method to increase the practice of nurses in caring the children with moderate-severe dehydration.