Effects of a nursing education intervention on parents' knowledge of hydrocephalus and shunts

The purpose of this nursing intervention study, which used a pre- and posttest design, was to determine the effect of an education program on parents' knowledge of hydrocephalus and shunt dynamics in a sample of parents of children with hydrocephalus. Study participants were parents of hydrocephalic children treated with an initial shunt or a shunt revision. The convenience sample of 41 subjects was divided into two groups (A or B). Group A participants were parents whose child received an initial shunt. Group B participants were parents whose child was admitted for a shunt revision. The shunt education intervention had three components: a shunt handbook, a preoperative teaching session with the clinical nurse specialist and a subsequent reinforcement teaching session. The pre- and posttest were the same seven multiple choice questions on hydrocephalus and shunts. In both groups, the pretest was given before the shunt education intervention. The posttest was given 2-3 weeks after the patient's surgery. There was a statistically significant change in the scores from the pre- and posttests for Group A (p = 0.0092). The nursing education appeared to have a positive effect upon this group's knowledge of hydrocephalus and shunts.