Effect of nursing care protocol on clinical outcomes of Thalassemic children who receiving iron chelation therapy

Mater, Thanaa A.; Bahgat, Rahma Soliman; Elshanshory, Mohmed

doi:10.21608/tsnj.2016.71636

Effect of nursing care protocol on clinical outcomes of Thalassemic children who receiving iron chelation therapy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Degree of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University

² Professor of pediatric Nursing Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University

³ :Professer of Pediatric Medicine Faculty of Medicine , Tanta University

10.21608/tsnj.2016.71636

Abstract

Children with hemoglobin level less than 7 g/dl require regular transfusions in the presence of growth impairment. The children need to take medications that rid the body of extra iron. Thalassemic children receiving desferal should be monitored for body weight and growth every 3 months. Protocol of care provided for thalassemic children on the chelation therapy is to achieve the optimal outcome in the treatment. Splenectomy is considered when a patient is more than five years old. The aim of this study; was to evaluate the effect of the nursing-care protocol on the clinical outcomes of thalassemic children who receive iron chelation therapy. This study was conducted at Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit of Tanta Main University Hospital. Materials and method, this study was conducted at Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit of Tanta Main University Hospital. All pediatric nurses (40) in the previously mentioned setting and assigned for providing care for thalassemic children. Thalassemic children who received the chelation therapy were collected randomly. Four tools were used of collect the data; a structured interview schedule, nurses’ knowledge regarding thalassemic children, Nurses skills observation checklist and anthropometric measurements for thalassemic children. Results revealed that the mean age of the nurses There was a significant difference in nurses’ knowledge about anemia and chelation therapy before and immediately after the nursing - care protocol More than half of the studied children were underweight while children’s upper mid arm circumference was normal and more than half of the studied children and skin-fold thickness was normal the third of the studied children. It can be concluded that the application of the nursing-care protocol caused improvement in nurses’ knowledge, practice and clinical outcomes of thalassemic children.

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