Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured education program for increasing caregiver knowledge of infants discharged on home oxygen therapy.
Design: The study used a one-group pretest-posttest design with recruitment of subjects between May 1988 and May 1989.
Setting/participants: All subjects were primary caregivers of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia who were discharged from a tertiary-care center. Eighteen caregivers of 10 infants entered and completed the study.
Interventions: The education program included a booklet, videotape, and practical session. A pretest was administered immediately before the caregiver entered the program, and a posttest was administered immediately after caregiver completion of the program. A delayed posttest was administered 6 weeks after the infant's discharge from the hospital.
Main outcome measure: The difference between the mean scores on the pretest and posttest.
Results: Posttest scores were significantly higher than pretest scores (t = 4.22; p < .01).
Conclusion: The significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores was due to the education program. The effects of history and maturation on posttest scores were minimal.