The Use of a Video for Discharge Education for Parents After Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract

Background: Caring for a child at home after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is challenging for parents, and discharge education is critical to ensure parents are prepared. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a discharge video intervention (DVI) as an adjunct to standard discharge teaching (SDT). Method: A two-phase study was conducted at an urban children’s hospital in the western United States. Phase 1 involved SDT alone followed by nurse-administered proficiency testing of parent knowledge in caring for their children at home using a 4-point Likert-type scale of parents of children post-allogeneic HSCT. These results informed the DVI, created in English and Spanish in Phase 2. The DVI content included topics on home cleaning, notifying the medical team, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), diet and visitor restrictions, and outpatient visits. In Phase 2, the DVI was viewable by parents who also received SDT. Parents’ proficiency was evaluated using the same procedure as in Phase 1. Results: Thirty-four parents participated: 17 in Phase 1 (SDT), 17 in Phase 2 (SDT + DVI). The DVI was viewed by parents in Phase 2 approximately twice prior to discharge. Parents in Phase 2 had higher proficiency scores on home cleaning, signs/symptoms of GVHD, and diet restriction. Parents in Phase 1 had higher proficiency regarding notifying the team. Conclusions: The DVI was feasible and demonstrated incremental increases in parent’s proficiency related to some discharge topics.