Mothers participation in caring for hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis: A quasi-experimental study.

This was not a randomized trial. Mothers were assigned by consecutive sampling, and the intervention group was chosen partly because they had observed care-practice deficits, so selection effects could have influenced the result. The outcome was a checklist score of mothers' observed care practice, not child dehydration, complications, readmission, infection control or home management after discharge. Mothers and the ward nurse observer were not blinded, and being watched in the room may have changed behaviour. The teaching was delivered as a bundle, including needs assessment, individual practical training, demonstration, feedback and a booklet, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Hospital stay was short and follow-up ended by day 5; there was no home follow-up or readmission record. Only mothers were studied, so findings may not apply to fathers or other caregivers. The checklist was developed for this study, so its usefulness outside this setting may be limited. Control mothers also received some education at discharge, so the comparison was not with no education.

The authors received no financial support for the research and publication, and declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that the booklet alone caused the improvement or that child outcomes improved. The intervention was a bundle, and the outcome was observed mother care-practice scores, not child dehydration, complications or readmission.