Intrathecal chemotherapy procedures are stressful to patients and caregivers, especially the first time. Providing the patient and caregiver with sufficient information to address their concerns before the scheduled procedure is necessary. This study aims to determine whether the use of video instructions could enhance learning outcomes and decrease anxiety levels in patients' caregivers. A prospective trial was conducted in pediatric hematology for 1 year. Thirty-seven respondents were randomly assigned to two groups wherein one group was given conventional educational leaflets and verbal instructions, while the other group received the same information through an educational video presentation before the intrathecal chemotherapy procedure. Knowledge enhancement in the two groups was evaluated using the summative assessment method and measured by a 10-point Likert scale. The validated Arabic version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scale was used to assess anxiety levels. The anxiety level (12.31 ± 8.84) in the video presentation group was significantly higher than that in the conventional group (6.16 ± 5.91). Similarly, the overall Beck scale score revealed that palpitation, frightening, lightheadedness, and hot/cold sweat levels were decreased in the video presentation group. Additionally, a significant difference in knowledge enhancement was noted between the two groups, as knowledge enhancement in the video presentation group (7.61 ± 1.88) was better than that in the conventional group (6.00 ± 1.00). This produced a domino effect on the anxiety level scores of both groups. An educational video presentation before the intrathecal chemotherapy procedure is effective since both visual and auditory senses are involved. This could be considered a good source of an interventional approach before a therapeutic procedure.
Keywords: Anxiety; Cancer; Chemotherapy; Intrathecal; Knowledge; Video-assisted.
© 2020. American Association for Cancer Education.