Malaria: Assess and Compare the Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on the Knowledge Regarding Malarial Drug Regimn in Children among Nurses Working in Paediatric Departments in Selected Hospitals of Vidarbha Region

Background In parts of the world where the endemicity of P. falciparum is stable, severe malaria is mainly a disease of childhood. On the other hand, in places of lower endemicity, viz. , SE Asia, the age shifts upwards and children above 5 years, and adults, suffer from severe falciparum malaria. However, even in these wide geographical areas, there are areas with very high to very low or seasonal transmission. Hence, more recently malaria is being perceived as a local and focal disease.2 The situation is further complicated by the recent emergence of resistance to chloroquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine therapy. In India, the resurgence of malaria, after the initial success of National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP), has posed a great public health problem due to high mortality, morbidity, and the economic burden arising out of it.3 One of the reasons of high mortality was identified to be the delay in institution of proper antimalarial drugs. India accounts around 85 % of the total reported cases in the region. During 1996 also, India contributed 83 % of total malaria cases in SE Region. Thus around 80 % of reported cases in the region are being contributed by India. Malaria is a complex disease and various factors influenced by human activities and natural calamity like excessive rainfall, flood, drought and other disasters have great bearing on mosquitogenic conditions leading to increased potential for malaria transmission.7 Objectives (i) To assess the knowledge regarding the malarial drug regimn in children among nurses in experimental and control group. (ii) To evaluate the effectiveness of a planned teaching programme among nurses in the experimental group. (iii) To compare the effectiveness of a planned teaching programme among nurses in the experimental group and control group. (iv) To associate the post test knowledge of nurses regarding malarial drug regimn in children with the selected demographic variables in experimental and control group. Method This study was based on evaluative approach. The population was all the nurses of Vidarbha region. The sample consists of 60 nurses from the different hospitals. Those working in paediatric department, willing to participate in study. The exclusion done of those with experience less than one year, who are completed specialty in pediatric nursing and who had in service education or training on malaria and its treatment. The sampling technique used in the study was Non-Probability Convenient Sampling. The tool was structured questionnaire. Results In experimental group, the overall mean score knowledge of nurses at pre-test is 23.264.01 and after the planned teaching programme, the overall mean score knowledge at post-test was 27.832.73. the t-value calculated was 10.00 and probability value was 0.000 i. e. less than table value hence it shows high significance increase in knowledge resulting in effectiveness of planned teaching programme. On comparing post test level knowledge score in experimental and control group, the overall mean knowledge score of post test of experimental group was 27.832.73 and overall mean knowledge score of post test of control group was 20.833.50. The calculated t-value was 8.63 and probability value was 0.000 which is highly significant as it is less than table value of 0.05 indicating the effectiveness of planned teaching programme. Conclusion The planned teaching programme significantly brought out their improvement in the knowledge regarding malarial drug regimn in children among nurses working in paediatric departments in selected hospitals of vidarbha region. Analysis of data showed that there was significant difference between pre test and post test knowledge in experimental group. And also post test knowledge score in experimental group is more than in control group.