Depok, June 16, 2025 – The Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Indonesia (FoN UI) once again demonstrates its commitment to producing outstanding and impactful doctoral graduates in nursing. Today, Ikeu Nurhidayah officially earned her Doctorate in Nursing after successfully defending her dissertation in a Public Doctoral Promotion held at the FIK UI Education and Laboratory Building.

Ikeu's research addresses a critical issue in pediatric cancer care—the role of mothers in preventing and reducing the severity of mucositis, a painful condition characterized by sores in the mouth and throat that often results from chemotherapy side effects. This condition can make it difficult for children to eat, drink, or even speak, ultimately hindering their recovery process.

Through her dissertation titled “The Effectiveness of a Maternal Empowerment Model in Managing Mucositis in Pediatric Cancer Patients,” Ikeu designed and tested a model aimed at empowering mothers to be more prepared and confident in caring for their children experiencing mucositis.

Her research was conducted in three stages. First, Ikeu interviewed mothers of pediatric patients and pediatric nurses to identify the needs and challenges faced in caring for children with mucositis. Second, based on the interview findings, she developed an empowerment model consisting of a guidebook, a nurse training module, a booklet for mothers, and a daily activity sheet. Third, the model was tested on a group of mothers caring for children with cancer—and the results showed significant success.

The model proved effective in improving mothers’ knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and adherence in caring for their children. Moreover, it successfully reduced the severity of mucositis in children, as shown by clinical assessments conducted before and after the intervention.

"By empowering mothers as the primary caregivers during a child’s cancer treatment, we can prevent more severe cases of mucositis while also accelerating the child’s recovery process," explained Ikeu during her presentation.

The public defense was chaired by Prof. Yeni Rustina, S.Kp., M.App.Sc., Ph.D, and featured a panel of prominent academic figures in pediatric nursing, including the main supervisor and co-supervisors: Prof. Dr. Nani Nurhaeni, S.Kp., M.N, Dr. Allenidekania, S.Kp., MSc, and Dr. Dewi Gayatri, S.Kp., M.Kes. Also in attendance were examiners from various disciplines of nursing and pediatric medicine, who gave high praise for the depth and impact of the research.

This achievement stands as a clear testament to FIK UI’s commitment to producing doctoral graduates who are not only academically excellent, but also capable of generating innovations that address real societal needs.

"FIK UI does not merely produce researchers, but also agents of change. We encourage every doctoral student to address issues that are relevant to real-world conditions, so that the impact of their research can be directly felt by the community," said Prof. Yeni Rustina in her remarks.

By continuously promoting research that is grounded in community needs, FIK UI reaffirms its role as an academically excellent and impactful nursing education institution—both nationally and globally—in advancing healthcare services.

FoN UI extends its congratulations to Dr. Ikeu Nurhidayah for her dedication, hard work, and scientific contributions. It is our hope that this empowerment model will soon be implemented in hospitals across the country and become part of the standard care for children with cancer in Indonesia.