Teaching and learning strategies in Home Enteral Nutritional Therapy: Knowledge gains perceived by caregivers

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate how different educational strategies contribute to knowledge gains perceived by caregivers of people using Enteral Nutritional Therapy. Method: a quasi-experimental study conducted in two stages: the first one included an interactive lecture class (LC) and the second was carried out in two groups: in-situ simulated skills training (ST) and reading of an educational booklet (EB). The caregivers answered a self-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge before and after the interventions; for the analysis, a generalized linear model with Poisson distribution was proposed and the comparisons were carried out using orthogonal contrasts. Results: the participants were 30 caregivers; evidence of a difference in knowledge between the t₁and t₀ moments is evidenced. The analysis of the final comparison about the knowledge gain between the EB and ST groups, according to Student’s t, evidenced an estimated difference of -1,33, with 95% CI (-4.98; 2.31) and p-value=0.46. Conclusion: knowledge was further increased between the t₁ and t₀ moments, when compared to the t₂ and t₁ moments in both groups. When compared, we cannot conclude that one of the groups changed more than the other in relation to moment t₀ and t₂; thus, the study evidenced the knowledge gain after all the educational strategies in both groups.