[Effects of education on knowledge and practice of caregivers of the stroke patient]

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of stroke patient care education on the knowledge and practice of caregivers of stroke patients.

Method: Data was collected from December 15, 2004 to March 30, 2005. The research design was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. The subjects were forty primary caregivers of stroke patients who were hospitalized in a neurology unit of a university hospital. Forty caregivers, twenty in the experimental group and twenty in the control group were assigned. The experimental group participated 2 times in an education class given by the researcher. Data analysis included -test, and t-test using the SPSS program.

Result: Knowledge(t=5..87, p=o.oo) and practice(t=5.53, p=0.00) of the experimental group were significantly different from the control group.

Conclusion: The stroke patient care education developed in this study shows a significant promotion of knowledge and practice of caregivers. Thus this program can be recommanded as an intervention model for stroke patients and caregivers.