Impact of a nursing education program about caring for patients in Japan with malignant pleural mesothelioma on nurses' knowledge, difficulties and attitude: a randomized control trial

Our plain-English summary of Impact of a nursing education program about caring for patients in Japan with malignant pleural mesothelioma on nurses' knowledge, difficulties and attitude: a randomized control trial, by Y. Nagamatsu, Y. Natori, H. Yanai, et al (Nurse Education Today, 2014).

The study

• Authors: Y. Nagamatsu, Y. Natori, H. Yanai, S. Horiuchi
• Journal: Nurse Education Today
• Published: 2014;34(7):1087-93
• Type of article: Randomized trial
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Purpose: In Japan nursing care lags behind the growing population of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This study evaluated an educational program for nurses about caring for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in Japan.

Method: In this randomized controlled study relative to care for malignant pleural mesothelioma, Knowledge, Difficulties and Attitude were measured at baseline, at post-test and at follow-up one month later. The two-day program with a half-day follow-up program included lectures, group work, role-playing and group discussion. 188 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (program, n=96) and control group (n=92; self-study by a similar content handbook). At baseline the groups showed no statistical differences in Knowledge (p=0.921), Difficulty (p=0.458) and Attitude (p=0.922). Completing the study were 177 participants yielding 88 in the intervention group and 89 in the control group. Human rights and privacy of participants were protected.

Results: The Knowledge score was significantly higher in the intervention post-test (t=14.03, p=0.000) and follow-up test (t=8.98, p=0.000). Difficulty score was significantly lower in the intervention at post-test (t=-3.41, p=0.001) and follow-up test (t=-3.70, p=0.000). The Attitude score was significantly higher in the intervention post-test (t=7.11, p=0.000) and follow-up test (t=4.54, p=0.000). The two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures on time showed an interaction between time and group; the subsequent simple main effect test found significant differences (p=0.000-0.001) between groups for after-program and at follow-up and a significant difference (p=0.000) in time only within the intervention group.

Conclusion: The educational program was effective in improving the nurses' knowledge and attitude toward malignant pleural mesothelioma care and decreasing the difficulty in MPM care, therefore this program has potential for nurses' in-service education throughout Japan.

Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

In plain English

This was a randomized controlled trial in Japan testing an education program for nurses on caring for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). It did not study asbestos exposure itself. Nurses recruited nationwide were randomized into two groups. One group (96 nurses) was assigned a two-day program of lectures, group work and role-play, plus a three-hour follow-up session about a month later; seven did not receive it. The other group (92 nurses) studied a handbook with similar content on their own. In all, 177 nurses completed the study. Knowledge, difficulty in giving care, and attitude were scored before, just after, and one month after the program. In the program group, the average knowledge score (0 to 10 scale) rose from 4.81 to 8.07 and was 7.33 at one month. The handbook group's knowledge did not change significantly. Difficulty scores fell and attitude scores rose in both groups, but more in the program group. The authors concluded the program might be effective. They noted only one month of follow-up, measurement tools that could be strengthened, and no measured care outcomes.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Randomized controlled trial with two arms (education program vs. self-study handbook), with measurements at baseline, just after the program, and one month later
• Who was studied: 188 nurses in Japan, recruited through letters sent to 4224 health care facilities nationwide and through a website. They were randomized to an intervention group (n = 96) and a control group (n = 92). In the intervention group, 7 did not receive the intervention and 1 withdrew. Programs were held October to December 2011, with follow-up sessions November 2011 to January 2012. 177 completed the study: 88 in the intervention group and 89 in the control group.
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was studied. The intervention was a nursing education program on MPM care (a 14.5-hour two-day program and a 3-hour follow-up), compared with self-study using a handbook of similar content.
• Main results:
  • Intervention group knowledge score: 4.81 at baseline, rising to 8.07 just after the program (p = 0.000) and 7.33 at one-month follow-up (p = 0.000)
  • Control group knowledge score: no significant change over time (4.89 at baseline in the text, 4.97 with p = 0.383 at post-test, 4.84 with p = 0.842 at follow-up)
  • Intervention group difficulty score (higher means more difficulty) fell from 40.01 at baseline to 34.80 at post-test and 33.74 at follow-up
  • Control group difficulty score also fell significantly, from 40.65 at baseline to 38.75 (p = 0.009) and 38.19 (p = 0.000) at follow-up
  • Intervention group attitude score rose from 36.95 at baseline to 43.38 at post-test and was 40.72 at follow-up (both p = 0.000)
  • Control group attitude score rose from 36.89 at baseline to 39.64 at post-test, then 37.97 at follow-up, still significantly higher than baseline (p = 0.003)
  • Two-way analysis of variance found significant differences between the groups after the program and at follow-up for all three scores (p = 0.000 to 0.001)
  • 177 participants completed the study: 88 in the intervention group and 89 in the control group
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the educational program might be effective in improving nurses' knowledge of and attitude toward MPM care and in decreasing their difficulty in caring for patients with MPM. In the abstract section they also stated it has potential for nurses' in-service education throughout Japan.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Effectiveness was evaluated for only one month; the authors recommend a longer follow-up
  • The psychometric properties of the measurement tools could be strengthened
  • Actual care outcomes were not measured; the authors recommend measures such as evaluation by those receiving care and by co-workers

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma.

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