Experience and number of patients as associated factors toward clinical confidence among nursing students in caring for tuberculosis patients in Indonesia

Abstract

Background

Nurses and nursing students are at greater risk of tuberculosis (TB) exposure due to their higher intensity contact with patients. In Indonesia, a country with high TB incidence, it is crucial to assess undergraduate nursing students' clinical confidence during their clinical practicums.

Purpose

This study aimed to explore factors associated with nursing students' clinical confidence in caring for TB patients.

Methods

This cross-sectional study utilized an internet survey based on the United States National TB Curriculum Consortium (NTCC) in September and November 2020. The survey questions focused on TB knowledge, beliefs about the value of TB instruction, and clinical confidence in caring for TB patients. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression were used for data analysis. The Indonesian version of the original NTCC survey was used.

Results

The study found that nursing students' knowledge about TB increased with their year of study (r = 0.290, p < .001). However, students perceived TB instruction as less valuable as they neared graduation (r = −0.233, p < .001) and with more frequent practice in the TB unit (r = −0.162, p < .001). Students who spent more time learning about TB outside of class perceived the TB instruction in the nursing curriculum more positively (r = 0.181, p < .004). The study also found a significant difference between nursing students' belief in the value of TB education and their clinical confidence in caring for TB patients (F = 5.711, p < .001). Furthermore, experience caring for TB patients and the number of TB patients cared for predicted clinical confidence.

Conclusions/Implications

This study highlights the need for improved curriculum content and teaching methods regarding TB for nursing students. It also suggests that experience caring for TB patients and the number of TB patients cared for can improve clinical confidence in nursing students. Given the high incidence of TB in Indonesia, this study's findings could have important implications for the country's healthcare system.