Development and testing effectiveness of a simulation program to control COVID-19 infections in nursing students

Abstract

Purpose : Developing infection control capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic was critical. This study aimed to develop a simulation program to control patients with COVID-19 in nursing students and examine the effects on COVID-19 knowledge, COVID-19 nursing intention, self-efficacy learning, and clinical performance.Methods : The study used nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Sixty nursing students were recruited from two different colleges using purposive sampling. For the intervention group(n=30), the pretest was administered before the simulation program, involving six sessions of online lectures and simulation practices. Immediately, the posttest was conducted following the program.Results : COVID-19 knowledge (t=9.87, p ＜.001), COVID-19 nursing intention (t=4.45, p ＜.001), learning self-efficacy (t=6.49, p ＜.001), and clinical performance (t=6.77, p ＜.001) increased significantly after the program, revealing the positive effect of the COVID-19 infection control simulation program in nursing students.Conclusion : The results of the study and the curriculum may be used as practical evidence for COVID-19 infection control in nursing schools and medical institutions.