Effectiveness of an Instructional Program on Knowledge for Patients with Lumbar Disk Prolapse at Baghdad Teaching Hospitals

Abstract

Lumbar disk prolapse (LDP) is a major public health problem and highly percent of the adult population suffers from this disease at some time in their lives. Around 10% of sufferers become chronically disabled patients and may also present with sciatic symptoms. The quality of life hence productivity is reduced due this disease. The Lumbar disk is weakened therefore; causing instability of the spine, which may result in changes and disk displacement, nerve root compression and canal stenosis. This disorder is common among middle-aged individuals, who are at large the working population so an enormous economic burden may be created in the society. Objective: The study aims to determine the effect of the instructional program on knowledge of patients with LDP and to find out the relationship between patients' socio-demographic characteristics of gender, age, educational level, marital status, occupation, monthly income, type of residence and residential area and their knowledge related to LDP. Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted on non-probability (purposive sample) of (60) patients; (30) patients for the study group and (30) for the control group, who had a lumbar disk prolapse in Baghdad teaching hospitals from October 15 th , 2015 to July 20 th , 2016.The same questionnaire form wasused for the study and control groups in the pretest period as a tool of data collection, which these data are introduced through the application of an instructional program.Then after three weeks; the post-test was given to both groups, after the program has been finished with the study group, and with same questionnaires that used in the pretest. Descriptive and inferentialstatistical analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of the LDP study group patients showed there are differences between their knowledge about LDP in pretest and their knowledge in post-test periods. Also, it reveals that there was a statistically no significant association at (P ≤ 0.05) between the study group of LDP patients' knowledge related to (age, gender, marital status, occupation and residential area), but there was a significant association related to the educational level. Conclusion: the results showed that the study group of LDP patients benefited from the implementation of the instructional program, and their knowledge was effectively enhanced and established. Recommendations: The study recommended the importance of increasing awareness among patients about the lumbar disk prolapse distributed through handbooks, explanatory posters, and performing an educational health programs through modern technological means (audio-visual) to follow a healthy back and spine safety during daily life activities at home and at work. Finally, the researchers suggest performing furtherlongitudinal studies that include a larger sample which assists in a more precise investigation of the quality of life of LDP clients.