Volume 32 Number 2 (2023)

Effectiveness of Preparedness Training Delivered to Pre-final and Final Year Nursing Undergraduates to Combat COVID-19: A Need-based Initiative

Kulshreshtha P1 , Bahurupi Y2 , Kalyani CV3 , Hemanthkumar K4 , Varghese A5 , Dhar M6 , Sharma S7 , Rao S8

Mymensingh Med J 2023 Apr; 32 (2): 542-549

PMID: 37002769

Abstract

A major concern during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the shortage of manpower for patient care. The recommendation of various authorised bodies encouraged the training of students from medical, nursing, and allied fields to manage COVID-19 cases by tele-consultation and monitoring of mild cases under the supervision of faculty. Anticipating a further shortage of human resources, leading to dire consequences, preparedness training for the final year and pre-final nursing undergraduates was initiated. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of and feedback on COVID-19 preparedness training delivered to final-and pre-final-year undergraduate nursing students. A 3-day training was given to pre-final and final year nursing undergraduates on ECG, COVID-19 management protocols, personal protective equipment “donning and doffing”, “hand hygiene”, “biomedical waste management”, “contact tracing” and cleaning and disinfection and simulation-based skills. Scores before and after training were conducted and mean scores were compared using a paired t-test. In total, 154 nursing students participated in the training program. Mean pre-test and post-test scores included: general instructions (21.69±2.5 and 25.09±3.29); skill procedures (5.4±1.21 and 6.3±1.2) and COVID management (22.84±3.26 and 26.48±2.06). There was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge and skills in all training sessions (p=.0.0001). The mean post-test scores obtained at the OSCE stations for cardiac monitoring, prone positioning, compression-only CPR, airway, ECG and ABG ranged from 97.0% to 100.0% and all participants scored >70.0%. About 92.8% of the students felt that hands-on training enhanced their learning experiences. A need-based initiative of training final-and pre-final-year nursing students in COVID-19 support care effectively and efficiently created a skilled workforce.

Keywords: COVID-19, Nursing, Undergraduate, Preparedness, Workforce


  1. Additional Professor

    Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, India

Read Full Article Cite

Volume 32, Number 2 (2023)
Page: 542-549