Effect of a Self-Learning Package Intervention on Mothers' Reported Practices Regarding Children with Clubfoot

Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV), or clubfoot, is a major congenital musculoskeletal deformity that compromises joint, ligament, and bone development. Maternal home-based care plays a critical role in maintaining correction during the multi-year Ponseti brace maintenance phase.

To evaluate the effect of a Self-Learning Package (SLP) intervention on maternal knowledge and reported caregiving practices regarding children with clubfoot.

A quasi-experimental, single-group pre-test/post-test design guided by the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND) reporting guidelines was conducted. A purposive sample of 138 mothers attending the Pediatric Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic at Al-Zahraa University Hospital was recruited. Data were collected using a Structured Maternal Profile and Knowledge Questionnaire and a Mothers' Reported Practices Checklist before and immediately after implementing a 7-unit multimodal Self-Learning Package.

Prior to the intervention, only 32.6% (n = 45) of mothers demonstrated satisfactory knowledge, and 32.6% (n = 45) demonstrated satisfactory reported practices. Following SLP implementation, satisfactory levels increased significantly to 67.4% (n = 93) for both knowledge and reported practices (χ2 = 52.57, p < .001). A statistically significant positive correlation was established between post-intervention knowledge and practice scores (r = 0.366, p < .001). Multiple linear regression revealed that post-intervention knowledge (β = 0.312, p < .001) was the strongest independent predictor of improved maternal practice scores.

The multimodal Self-Learning Package led to significant gains in maternal knowledge and home caregiving practices, effectively closing the clinical educational gap. Incorporating the Self-Learning Package into standard pediatric orthopedic nursing protocols is strongly recommended.