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Abstract Children with leukemia usually suffer from many health problems and complications as a result of the disease process or the course of treatment. Aim of the study: was to assess the knowledge and home practices of caregivers having children with leukemia. Design: descriptive research design was utilized in this study. Setting: the study was conducted at the out-patient clinic of the Pediatric Oncology Department at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Cairo University. Sample: A sample of 192 caregivers having newly diagnosed children with leukemia between the ages of 6 -12 years of age who were receiving chemotherapy. Tools for data collection: Three tools were used. 1) Structured interviewing questionnaire it had three parts: a. Sociodemographic characteristic of the children, b. Sociodemographic characteristic of the caregivers, c. Disease information: family history of cancer, types of treatment, etc…2) Knowledge questionnaire sheet consisted of 24 questions related to the caregiver’s knowledge about the disease. 3) Practices questionnaire sheet consisted of 27 questions related to the caregiver’s practices. Results: More than two third of caregivers had partially satisfactory knowledge and practice scores concerning home care, dealing with disease and side effects of treatments. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between total knowledge and total practice scores of family caregivers. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between total knowledge and practice scores and caregiver’s education, income, place of residence, number of children in the family and duration of care. Conclusion: the study concluded that, more than two third of the caregivers had partially satisfactory knowledge and home practices scores regarding care of their children with leukemia. Recommendation: Based on the study results it is recommended to develop a health education programs for family caregivers of children having leukemia to prepare them with the needed knowledge and skills so they can provide appropriate home care for their children. |