Background: Rheumatic fever remains a major health problem in many low-income and middle-income countries.
Purpose: determine the pediatric nurses’ information background, their understanding of the causative pathway and preventive measures, and the nurses’ skills regarding acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) pre- and post-educational intervention and after one month.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental research design. Convenience sampling of 150 pediatric nurses was carried out in the pediatric departments of two hospitals, Benha University Hospital and Benha Teaching Hospital. Tools: A questionnaire was used to gather data on the nurses’ understanding of ARF and RHD. The causative pathway of and preventive measures for ARF and RHD were presented graphically. An observation checklist supplied pre- and post-intervention was used to measure nurses’ skills.
Results: The significant improvement in the pediatric nurses’ information background, the preventive strategies employed, their understanding of the causative pathway, and their skills was observed post-intervention (93%,95%, and 85%, respectively). There was a statistically significant correlation between the pediatric nurses’ age, qualifications, years of experience, residence status, marital status and their information background, understanding of the causative pathway and preventive measures, and the nurses’ skills related to ARF and RHD.
Conclusion: The educational program delivered to pediatric nurses was effective in increasing their knowledge, skills, prevention of rheumatic fever, and control of RHD among children. Rheumatic fever and RHD, most aspects of their life are impacted, including their dietary habits, psychological state, and ability to participate in school activities. This highlights the importance of the pediatric nurse’s role in teaching children and their parents about these conditions.