Effectiveness of Health Education on Safety Measures for Family Caregivers of Cancer Patients Receiving Cytotoxic Drugs

Document Type : Original Article

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Faculty of Medicine

Abstract

Background: Cytotoxic drugs are widely used for the treatment of cancer. The safety of family members who get in contact with the body fluids of patients who receive cytotoxic drugs has to be ensured. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a health education intervention in changing the level of knowledge and practice of caregivers regarding safety measures against cytotoxic drugs received by the patient. Methods: a pretest-posttest intervention study was conducted among 94 family caregivers in the chemotherapy inpatient unit at Zagazig University hospitals over a period of 4 months (June to September 2021). Results: there was a highly significant improvement in the level of knowledge from 5.3% to 93.6% and practice from 11.7% to 89.4% at P-value of 0.00 and 0.00 respectively. Level of education was predicted to be the only independent variable that improved the level of posttest knowledge at P-value 0.00 while there were no significant independent variables that acted as a predictor in the improvement of the posttest practice. Conclusions: Health Education intervention succeeded to improve the knowledge and practice of family caregivers regarding safety measures against cytotoxic drugs. There is a need to improve the safety culture of health care workers toward caregivers through continuous intervention programs.

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Zagazig University Medical Journal
Volume 30, Issue 1.2
January and February 2024
Pages 121-128

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