Effectiveness of Nursing Intervention on Knowledge of Family Caregivers of Patients with Paraplegia

Abstract

Paraplegia creates debilitating effect on patient and family. The patient with spinal injury requires creative
nursing management in all phases of care. The treatment and rehabilitation period is long, expensive and
exhausting in paraplegia. Whether complete or incomplete, spinal injury rehabilitation is a long process
that requires patience and motivation of the patient and relatives. The present study focussed on the
effectiveness of nursing intervention on knowledge of family caregivers of patients with paraplegia. The
research design adopted in the study was quasi experimental pretestpost test control group design and was
conducted in physical medicine and rehabilitation wards. The sample consisted of 80 family caregivers
who satisfy the inclusion criteria. Nursing intervention consisted of the structured, individual patient and
caregiver education of 3 sessions of 45 minutes duration using power point slides on exercises, nutrition,
skin care, sexual functioning, psychological aspects, bladder training, bowel training, demonstration and
return demonstration of exercises and provision of an information booklet describing the interventions to
be followed by the patients and family caregivers. Post test was conducted on 25th day and 90th day. The
effect of intervention was found to be significant which indicates that there exists a significant difference in
knowledge scores of family caregivers of patients with paraplegia.