Background: The lack of mothers' knowledge about febrile convulsion (FC) and how to manage it can lead to improper home management. This investigation determined the effect of empowerment programs on mothers' knowledge and home management practices about FC among children under five years.
Design: A quasi-experimental design. A government-owned hospital in Egypt was the study setting. 236 mothers and their children with FC were purposively selected. Two instruments were used to collect data: Tool 1 (part 1: participants' characteristics, part 2: mothers' FC knowledge) and Tool 2 (mothers' reported practices regarding FC home management). The Febrile Convulsion Empowerment Program was used as the intervention. The study was conducted between April and October 2024. Data were analyzed utilizing the chi-squared test and Pearson r.
Results: During FC pre-intervention program, 75 % and 66.50 % of mothers reported poor knowledge and unsatisfactory practices, respectively. Post-intervention, mothers improved their knowledge (85.20 %) and practices (81.40 %). A high statistically significant difference and positive correlations were noted between knowledge and practices of children's FC (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The Febrile Convulsion Empowerment Program appears beneficial to mothers' knowledge and home management practices. This program may be an effective and cost-efficient management of febrile convulsion for children under 5 years. Nurses and health team members caring for this age group may use this program to educate mothers and guide their practices about FC.
Practice implications: Healthcare professionals, such as pediatric nurses, may use this empowerment program as an alternative management in preventing FC among children.
Keywords: Empowerment program; Febrile convulsion; Home management practices; Mother; Under 5 children.
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