Hanan Mohamed Tork^1,, Rawia Abd El-ghany Mohamed², Hanan Nabawy Elaasar², Rasha Rady El-Said²

Sedated and intubated children have impaired ocular protective mechanisms putting them at risk for ocular surface disease with potential vision loss. So, rapid intervention with targeted treatment is essential to avoid vision-threatening complications. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of designed eye care protocol on nurses' knowledge and practice regarding the prevention of ocular surface disorder among sedated and intubated children at pediatric intensive care units. Research design: A quasi-experimental design was used. Settings: This study was conducted at the pediatric intensive care units in Benha university hospital and Benha Specialized Pediatric Hospital. Sample: A Convenient sample of nurses (n=75) and a purposive sample of sedated and intubated children (n=62). Tools of data collection: Three tools were used; a structured interviewing questionnaire sheet, an observational checklist, and eye health status assessment sheet. Results: there was a significant improvement in nurses’ knowledge and practice post-designed eye care protocol implementation. Moreover, the results revealed that the majority of children in the study group had no ocular surface disorders and less than three-quarters of them had absent conjunctival edema post-designed eye care protocol implementation. Conclusion: The implementation of the designed eye care protocol proved to be effective in improving nurses' knowledge and their practices, with a positive impact on sedated and intubated children. Recommendations: Provide continuous educational programs and training courses for nurses working at pediatric intensive care units about eye care to improve their performance.

designed eye care protocol, nurses' knowledge and practices, ocular surface disorder, children, pediatric intensive care unit