EFFECTS OF CAREGIVER EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM ON CAREGIVER ABILITY FOR CHILDREN WITH ACUTE LOWER RESPIRATORY INFECTION

-Empowerment Child care giver

Abstract

This study was quasi-experimental research having two groups with pretest-posttest design. Study aimed to examine effects of the child caregiver’s empowerment program by comparing ability of caring for children withacute lower respiratory tract infection’ between the experimental and the control groups. Participants included 60 caregivers of children who receive medical treatment at pediatricward, Chonburi  hospital from April to June, 2019.They were assigned to either experimental (n=30) or control group (n=30).Control group had routine care. Experimental group had empowerment program based on Gibson’s empowerment concepts(1995). It consisted of four steps; 1) discovering situational reality 2) critical thinking reflection3) making a decision to select appropriate behavior, and 4) maintaining that behavior. Data were collected by the questionnaire of the ability to care for acute lower respiratory infection children , which had Cronbach’s alpha value as .85. Data were analyzed by description statistics, indepentt-test and pairedt-test.

             Study results revealed that after experiment, experimental group had higher mean score of ability to care for children with acute lower respiratory infection than before (t58= 4.704, p-value < .001) significantly.

             Finding suggest that nurses should apply the empowerment program to use in nursing practice. It consequence would be increase ability of child caregivers.