Effect of Self-Care Guidelines on Quality of Life, Knowledge and practices among Faculty of Nursing Students with Vaginal Infection

Abstract

Vaginal infections are a global health problem for women at reproductive age. These infections threat the women’s health and have negative impacts on their QOL. Aim of the study: to evaluate the effect of self-care guidelines on quality of life, knowledge, and practices, among faculty of nursing students with vaginal infection. Subjects and methods: quasi experimental research design was used to conduct the study at Faculty of Nursing, El- Minia University. It included 214 female students selected by purposive sampling technique according to inclusion criteria, who suffer from vaginitis. The data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire including socio-demographic data, knowledge, practice and WHOQOL scale. The data was collected through a period of 8 months from October 2017 to May 2018. Results: the prevalence of vaginal infection among female students constituted 25%. The majority of studied students lacked the essential knowledge regarding vaginal infection in the pretest and have unsatisfactory practices score that consequently had negative impact on their quality of life. Meanwhile, after conduction of educational program it observed that there was a highly significant improvement in their knowledge, practice, as well as their quality of life among female students. Conclusion: there were statistical significant difference between total knowledge, total practices and total quality of life (P<0.001) pre and post educational program. So self-care guidelines about vaginal infection were effective in improving the knowledge, practices as well as the quality of life for nursing students with vaginal infection. Recommendation: Applying educational programs for adolescent females and their mothers to increase awareness about vaginal infection. Develop a special health center for adolescent females motivate them to seek prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of vaginal infection that may have positive impact on their future health and their QOL.