Effectiveness of an Educational Programme on Epilepsy Care and Home Management for Mothers

Mothers' knowledge on care of children with epilepsy greatly influences the health status of the child by reducing the morbidity and mortality rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which an education programme was effective in improving mothers' knowledge on home management of their children with epilepsy. An intervention study using a pre-experimental one group pretest-posttest design was conducted in two urban hospitals with 35 mothers of children with epilepsy who completed self reported structured knowledge questionnaire that provided information about epilepsy, causes first aid measures and home management. Following baseline assessment, the mothers of children with epilepsy were administered a booklet on home management of children with epilepsy and a reinforce teaching was given. One week following the completion of the programme the subjects were reassessed. Booklet and reinforced teaching improved knowledge of mothers' on home management of their children with epilepsy. Education programme was found to be an effective and inexpensive intervention that improves the knowledge of mothers about home care of their children with epilepsy.