Effect of Educational Toolkit on Pediatric Nurses' Knowledge, and Practices toward Noroviruses among Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University, Egypt.

2 Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt.

Abstract

Norovirus is recognized as a significant cause of gastroenteritis and is a major contributor to non-
bacterial gastroenteritis in both industrialized and developing nations. In addition, after rotavirus,
Norovirus is thought to be the second most common cause of severe pediatric gastroenteritis.
Objective: To determine the effect of educational toolkit on pediatric nurses' knowledge and
practices (KP) toward Noroviruses (NoV)among children. Method: 51 nurses working in the
pediatrics departments at the Children's Hospital of Mansoura University (MUCH) in El-Mansoura
Governorate, Egypt, and they were caring for children with acute gastroenteritis and were willing to
participate in the study underwent a five-month quasi-experimental research design (pre-post
intervention study). The study was conducted from the first of September2021 to the end of January
2022.Results:The post-implementation scores are significantly higher than the pre- implementation
ones. 74.5 vs. 15.7for good sufficient knowledge, and 74.5% vs. 7.8 forgood satisfactory practice.
The mean score of nurses' practice about Norovirus and its preventive measures was 27.48 ± 5.89.
This mean improved to 41.37 ± 5.70 after the program implementation, with statistically significant
differences at p < 0.001. Conclusion: It was concluded that, the educational toolkit had a positive
effect on nurses’ knowledge & practices as represented by a significant improvement in the post
mean scores of knowledge and practice for nurses at the pediatric medical unit. Recommendations:
Integrating Norovirus prevention measures and management into the routine nursing care and
creating ongoing educational programs for nurses in response to their requirements/needs aiming to
updating their knowledge and enhancing their care of pediatric patients who are infected with such
viruses.

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