The effect of avatar-based education program developed for the care of children with ventriculoperitoneal shunt on parents' knowledge, care skills, and shunt complications

Objective: This study aimed to develop an Avatar-Based Education Program (ABEP-H) for the care of children with hydrocephalus diagnosed with VP shunt and to determine the impact of this education program on parents' knowledge and caregiving skills related to hydrocephalus and shunt complications. Method: This study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the Avatar Based Education Program was developed. In the second stage, a single-blind pre-test post-test measurement follow-up randomized controlled design was conducted with 40 parents of children with hydrocephalus. The study was conducted between January 2021 and February 2024. The parents in the intervention group implemented the Avatar Based Education Program for six months. The parents in both the intervention and control groups were measured at 0, 1, 3, and 6 months. Measurements were conducted using the Knowledge and Care Skills Self-Assessment Scale for Parents of Children with Hydrocephalus, the Shunt Complication Tracking List, and the System Usability Scale. The data was evaluated using numbers, percentages, means, standard deviations, chi-square tests, and two-way ANOVA for mixed measurements. Results: The self-assessment scores for hydrocephalus knowledge and care skills of the parents in the intervention group significantly differed from those in the control group for all measurements (p<0.05). The parameters for shunt complications in children with hydrocephalus in the intervention group significantly differed from those in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the intervention group parents who implemented the Avatar-Assisted Education Program had higher knowledge and care skills regarding hydrocephalus and a lower rate of shunt complications in their children. It is recommended that technological initiatives such as Avatar-Assisted Education be used more frequently in hydrocephalus. Key words: hydrocephalus, knowledge and care skills, shunt complication, avatar-based education, nursing