Yuke Chen, Yanni Luo, Rongxian Huang, Jian Lu, Liqiao An, Xiaoxiao Huang, Huatao Qin, Dengqi Li, Xiuping Huang
The "home care cloud classroom" has important practical significance and positive impact on improving the care ability of the main caregivers of children with TM and reducing their psychological burden.
OBJECTIVE: This study explores the impact of the "home care cloud classroom" on the improvement of the caregiving abilities of the main caregivers of children with severe thalassemia major (TM) in the border ethnic areas.
METHODS: Conducted from November 2022 to July 2024 at the Thalassemia Care Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, the study enrolled 336 primary caregivers who were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 168) receiving the cloud-based training via WeChat/QQ platforms or the control group (n = 168) receiving conventional nursing care.
RESULTS: Although baseline characteristics of the children showed no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05), caregiver demographics including age, sex distribution, and monthly income,varied significantly (P < 0.05); in the cloud classroom group, caregivers demonstrated substantial improvements in Family Management Measure scores (including daily life management, disease management capability, parental mutual support), along with significant reductions in disease-related stressors, lower Zarit Burden Interview scores, decreased Perceived Stress Scale levels, and increased Social Support Rate Scale utilization, with a satisfaction rate of 92.86% versus 82.74% in the control (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The "home care cloud classroom" has important practical significance and positive impact on improving the care ability of the main caregivers of children with TM and reducing their psychological burden.
IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: Clinical nurses in remote ethnic border regions may adopt standardized WeChat/QQ cloud classroom programs to deliver continuous, accessible thalassemia home care training. Targeted online education can reduce care burden and improve family disease self-management, alleviating systemic barriers to offline health education in underserved border areas.