Assessment of Parents' Knowledge, Practices and Attitude Toward Care for Their Epileptic Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Researcher

2 Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing- Helwan University

3 Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing- Banha University

Abstract

Background Epilepsy is the commonest serious neurological condition of childhood. It is
a group of chronic disorders in which the indispensable feature is recurrence of seizure. Parents
play the most significant role in caring for their children and helping them adapt to their
conditions ,especially mothers. The aim of the present study was to assess parents` knowledge,
practice and attitude toward care for their epileptic children at Helwan General Hospital, and
Helwan fever Hospital. A descriptive design was conducted on a sample of 100 parents of
children with epilepsy at the pediatric neurology outpatient clinic and in-patient units at Helwan
General Hospital, Helwan Fever Hospital in Elkahera Governorate, Egypt .Three tools were used
in this study, the first was a questionnaire interview sheet to collect data about studied parents and
their children, and to assess parents` knowledge about epilepsy .The Second was seizure severity
scale. The Third tool was a questionnaire sheet about parents`s knowledge regarding practices in
caring for their epileptic children. Results indicated that the majority of the studied parents`
(mothers) had a poor knowledge score about epilepsy while ,75/ had moderate knowledge score
(Satisfactory level). Most of the studied parents` total care practices score was incompetent.
More over there was a positive correlation between parents` total knowledge score and their total
knowledge about care practices score with person`s correlation coefficient (r= 0.43, p= 0.001).
Based n the result of the present study.it could be recommended that the educational programs
for parents of epileptic children about epilepsy and its care should be conducted and establishing a
standard of care for children with epilepsy in hospital and clinics is essential.

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