الفهرس 
Concept of viral infection
Operational designOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Viral infection constitutes a major public health problem
in Egypt requiring more interest and attention than it presently
receives (CDC, 2011). Virus is a tiny organism that causes an
infection in the body, which results in a viral infection that can
be transmitted in numerous ways such as contact with an
infected person. It can affect any part of the body or a body
system such as the respiratory system (common cold, flu),
gastrointestinal tract (viral gastroenteritis) and skin (chicken
pox). In addition to measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and
hepatitis A (Janice, 2000). Age, poor hygiene, immunity of
children and eating habits are factors that could increase
children’s risk to viral infection (Mark, 2004).
The best way of treating human viruses will depend on
the strength of the individual’s immune system, their overall
health status, age, the severity of the condition and the type of
viruses involved. Minor illnesses caused by viral infections
usually require symptomatic treatment, while more severe
conditions may require advanced medical treatment and
sometimes even life-long treatment. A combination of
treatment options such as conventional medicine,
complementary therapy and natural medicine can help to fight
the infection, control the symptoms and strengthen the immune response (CDC, 2009). The nurse must educate mothers to be
familiar with the viral disease to recognize the disease and
institute appropriate preventive and supportive intervention
(Schilling et al., 2009).
Aim of the Study
Assess the mother’s knowledge regarding care of their
children suffering from viral infection.
Research questions:
What is the mother’s knowledge regarding care of
their children suffering from viral infection?
Subject and Method
Research Design:
Descriptive research design was used.
Setting:
The study was conducted at an outpatient clinic that
includes; dermatology and pediatrics outpatient clinics
affiliated to both Ain Shams University and Sohag
University Hospitals.
Sampling:
A purposive sample of this study was composed of
200 mothers having children suffering from viral infections
attending the previously mentioned study setting over a period of 6 months under the following inclusion criteria;
all children suffering from viral infection, from both
genders and accompanying their mothers regardless of age,
education level, residence and socioeconomic standards.
Tools of the Data Collection:
Data was collected using the following tools
I) Interview questionnaire sheet to gather data in relation
to : (Appendix II).
Part (1): It included socio-demographic data about:
a- The studied children (age, gender, level of education,
etc.).
b- The studied mothers (age, level of education, jobs, etc.).
c- The family (family type, residence, the number of
children in the family, number of family members).
d- The home environment (type of home, number of
rooms, the number of persons sharing child’s bedrooms,
home ventilation).
Part (2) :
Assessment of mother’s knowledge regarding care of their
children suffering from viral diseases (definition, signs,
symptoms, mode of transmission and reported practice of
children’s care, etc.).
Part (3): Reported practice of mothers about care of their children
with viral infections (preventive measures, nutrition,
breastfeeding, follow up and treatment).
Pilot study
A pilot study was carried out including 10 children to test
the tools for its clarity, simplicity and time required to fill it.
Some changes were done accordingly, and then those who
participated in the pilot study were excluded later from the
study sample.
The study results can be summarized as follows:
The studied children’s mean age was 3.48 ± 2.36 and
more than half (51.5%) of them were males, half of the studied
children were in nursery schools and less than half (47.5%) of
them were ranked as the first child. The mean age of the
studied mothers was 24.95 ±7.73, 36.5% of them were having
secondary education and 82.5% of them were not working.
The number of children in family was ranged from 2-3
children as reported by 46.5% of them.
The study showed that, the majority of the studied
mothers had poor knowledge and practice regarding to care of
children with viral infections.
The study finding revealed that, there was a high
statistically significant difference between the mothers’
knowledge and their reported practice. Regarding the relation between socio demographic characteristics and mothers
knowledge, there were significant differences between
mother’s knowledge and age, while no significant relation was
found between level of education, residence, job and type of
family and their knowledge.