Effectiveness of an Educational Health Programme on Mothers' Knowledge of Thalassaemic Children Who Receiving Desferal Therapy in Hawler Thalassemia Center/ Erbil City

Abstract

Background: Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic blood disorders in the world.

Objectives: The study aimed to improve mothers' knowledge of Thalassaemic children who using Desferal therapy.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out at Hawler Thalassemia Center in Erbil City of the 1^st of March to the end of May 2010. One hundred mothers were selected and divided into two groups, (50) mothers as control group and another (50) mothers as study group. Educational Health Program was concentrated on several major topics and it was implemented through two sessions, a pre-test was done for both groups before implementing the health education program and the post-test was done after one month for both groups .Data were collected through the use of a questionnaire tool by direct  interview techniques which was used as a mean of data collection. Data were analyzed by Excel and SPSS version 17 program me. At ≤ 0.05 was statistically significant  and p-value 0.01 was statistically highly significant.

Results: The results revealed that the mothers' knowledge in the study group was improved their knowledge after implementation health education program at p-value 0.000 comparing in control group.

Conclusion: Most of the mothers in the study group had got benefit of implementation of educational programmer about their knowledge concerning who using Desferal therapy.

Recommendation: Health education programmes apply in mass media (TV, radio journal...). As well as screening should be apply for the risk groups (Carrier population screening detection at population level, Pre-marital, Prenatal and suspected family and their children). Also booklet and pamphlet of education programme should be distributed for all mothers who are attending Thalassemia Center. And Specialized nurse or thalassemia nurse should be knowledgeable about Desferal Therapy