The impact of an interactive, multifaceted education approach for congenital cataract on parental anxiety, knowledge and satisfaction: A randomized, controlled trial

Objective: The aim of our research was to examine the impact of a patient education program for parents of children with congenital cataract on parental stress, comprehension of disease information and parental satisfaction. Methods: This prospective study included 177 parents of children with congenital cataract. The children were randomized into the following groups: the health education program with a multifaceted, interactive approach and conventional follow-up. Self-administered questionnaires were used for parental evaluation before and after the education program. The anxiety level, parental satisfaction and comprehension of the information were evaluated at each time point. Results: A multifaceted, interactive approach to education significantly reduced parental levels of anxiety compared with the conventional group (effect sizes: Parenting Stress Index, eta 2 = 0.285; Ocular Treatment Index, eta 2 = 0.346). This approach also improved comprehension-memorization scores (effect sizes: eta 2 = 0.303) and parental satisfaction (p < 0.001). The impact of this new intervention was maintained for 6 and 12 months after the course. Conclusion: The interactive, multifaceted education approach could efficiently improve the comprehension of disease-related information and parental satisfaction, resulting in significantly decreased parental anxiety. Practice implications: This new patient education approach had a significant impact on congenital cataracts and may be generalized to other pediatric diseases. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.