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Background & Aim: Drug addiction, especially addiction to Ecstasy has ruinous effect on lives. Lack of knowledge is the most important cause of Ecstasy use among young adults. Research studies showed that students use these pills in order to get comfort and to overcome grieves. Addiction to ecstasy has been increased in Iran in recent years. This study was carried out to assess the factors associated to Ecstasy use in students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 200 students using clustered, random sampling. Data collection tool was a structured valid and reliable questionnaire containing 28 questions in two sections. Data were analyzed using Student t-test, ANOVA and chi-square tests.

Results: Results indicated that the prevalence of Ecstasy use was 1.5%. Prevalence of alcohol and cigarette use was 1.5% too. Mean score of knowledge on Ecstasy was 9.8% (SD=3.8). Knowledge of the female students was higher than the knowledge of male ones. About 86.7% of the students took Ecstasy in order to end grieve due to family problems. Most important associated factors to Ecstasy use were: positive attitude toward Ecstasy use, lack of knowledge (96.5%), peer pressure (96%), and lck of parents&apos attention to their young children (94.5%).

Conclusion: Lack of knowledge about complications of addiction to Ecstasy is the most important factor leading to addiction among students. Living in places such as dormitories and rented houses, and lack of parents&apos control over their children can be important factors related to addiction of students to Ecstasy, as well.

 

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Background & Objective: Life style has potential role in bone mass density and prevention of osteoporosis in adolescents. The aim of this study was to determine the life style of female students influencing osteoporosis prevention in Nursing and Midwifery school at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences.
Methods & Materials: All female students (n=166) were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Data were gathered using three questionnaires: 1) demographic questionnaire, 2) General Practitioner Physical Activity Questionnaire, and 3) dietary recall questionnaire. Validity and reliability of the questionnaires were determined. Date was analyzed using descriptive statistic, Chi-square, and t-test.
Results: Mean calcium intake was statistically different between dormitory and non-dormitory students (P<0.001). Regarding physical activity, only 19.2% of the students had appropriate activity. The main activity of the students was walking (83.5%). There was a significant difference between economic status and life style (P=0.047). There was no statistically significant difference between life style with the parents&apos educational level, and the educational program.
Conclusion: It seems that life style-related osteoporosis preventive behaviors are not appropriate among nursing and midwifery students. Planning appropriate educational programs could promote high standard nutritional plans and physical activity among the female students.

 

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Background & Aim: Most of the recent studies in nursing education have been focused on outcomes of learning. Conventional clinical nursing education, which emphasizes on skill acquisitions, may not encourage students to adopt meaningful or deep learning approaches. This study examined the effect of Concept Mapping on learning approaches among nursing students.

Methods & Materials: In this quasi-experimental study, 53 nursing students were randomly divided into two control (n=25) and experimental (n=28) groups. We taught concept mapping for the nurses in the experimental group to use it in caring patients and learning clinical skills. The control group received traditional nursing care plan lessons. Before and at the end of the intervention, the students&apos approach to learning was assessed using the Study Process Questionnaire. Data was analyzed using independent t test.

Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the control and experimental groups on demographics, surface and deep approaches to learning at the beginning of the study (P>0.05). Deep approach to learning increased significantly in the experimental group after the intervention (P=0.03). There was also statistically significant difference in the deep approach to learning between two groups (P=0.02). No statistically significant difference was found in the surface approaches to learning between two groups.

Conclusion: The results of this study provided empirical support for the use of concept mapping as a meta cognitive intervention to increase students&apos meaningful learning and academic achievement.

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Background & Aim: Quality of nursing care is a major issue in nursing management. In the last year of nursing studies (internships) in Iran, nursing students are going to independently carry out responsibilities of graduated nurses. Patients&apos satisfaction is a main indicator for nursing care quality. This study was to determine the correlation between the quality of caring behaviors among internship students with the patients&apos satisfaction with nursing care quality.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 200 patients were selected using convenience sampling method from the hospitals affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data were gathered using two questionnaires including: 1) quality of the caring behaviors and 2) patient satisfaction with nursing care quality questionnaire (PSNCQQ). Data were analyzed using statistical tests in the SPSS-13.

Results: Regarding quality of caring behaviors, the subscale scores of the knowledge and skills were good and patient education was low. The relationship between the nurses and patients, and nursing morality were in average level. Regarding the patient satisfaction, the highest level of satisfaction was related to nursing knowledge and skills and the lowest level was related to the patient education. Significant correlation was found between the total quality of the caring behaviors with the patients&apos satisfaction and their subscales (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Based on the findings, patients are more satisfied with the caring behaviors of the students who focus on the communication with patients, nursing ethics, and especially patient education during the care.

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Background & Objective: Nursing students usually experience various types of stress. Lack of stress coping strategies result in more stress, incompatibility, manifestation of disorders, and mental health problems. This study carried out to assess the methods of coping with stress among nursing students.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 358 male and female bachelor of nursing students studying at Tehran University of Medical Sciences during the first semester of 2011-2012 were selected. Data were collected using the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation and a demographic questionnaire. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in the SPSS-14.

Results: There were 66.2% female and 33.8% male students in the study. The age of the students ranged 17-29 years. Most of the students aged 20-22 years (45%), were single (90.8%), were habitants of Tehran (53.1%), had an average economic status (72.1%), and were employed (20.9%). Of all, 19.3% had experienced stressful events in the last three months. A small number of the students (4.7%) suffered from chronic diseases. The nursing students mostly used problem-oriented coping style (56%). The emotion-oriented method was used among 45.99% of the students and the avoidance-oriented style was used among 39.34% of the students. There were no statistically significant relationship between the coping styles and the demographic characteristics.

Conclusion: The problem-oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented styles were the most frequent styles used by the students, respectively. The mental health, particularly among nursing students who deal with patients and have important role in the health system, is important and requires special attention. The stress coping styles should be inserted in the educational curriculum of the nursing schools.

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  Background & Aim: The effect of perceived stress on students’ health depends on their coping abilities. Resilience is a coping strategy for dealing with the stress. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the perceived stress with resilience in undergraduate nursing students .

  Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 309 undergraduate nursing students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected during the first semester of 2012-2013 using the stratified sampling method. Data were collected using the Perceived stress scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in the SPSS-14 . 

  Results: Findings revealed that most of the students (99.3%) had a moderate or high perceived stress. There was a statistically significant relationship between the perceived stress with the resilience (P £ 0.001, r=-0.38) .

  Conclusion: The school of nursing should provide facilities and opportunities for students in their 4-year educational program to learn stress management strategies including increasing resilience ability.

  

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  Background & Aim: Oral health is one of the most important components of personal health. Understanding current status of oral health is necessary to provide future oral health interventions. The aim of this study was to determine factors influencing tooth brushing behavior based on the health belief model (HBM) among 5- and 6-grader students.

  Methods & Materials : : In this cross-sectional study, 370 primary school students were selected using the stratified cluster sampling method. Data were collected using a questionnaires based on the HBM. The obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS-20.

  Results: The results showed that 95.7% of the students brushed their teeth once or more daily. Mean and standard deviation of the brushing frequency in one week was 8.66±3.54. There was a significant correlation between the perceived barriers (P=0.00, r=-0.14) and self-efficacy (P=0.04, r=0.10) with the brushing behavior.

  Conclusion : According to the results, educating students and decreasing different barriers seems to be necessary to improve brushing behavior.

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  Background & Aim: The nature of clinical practice has altered in recent years. It has been affected by different kinds of problem-solving models' so, the problem-solving skill is necessary in practice for nurse practitioners. Besides assertiveness is a critical element which persuades nurses and nursing students to establish good relationships and use their knowledge and professional skills effectively. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between problem solving and assertiveness skills among undergraduate nursing students .

  Methods & Materials: This was a descriptive correlational study. The study was carried out in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Iran University of Medical Sciences. The study population included all students enrolled in the four-year nursing program in 2009-2010. Data were collected using the Heppner and Petersen’s problem solving inventory and Rathus assertiveness schedule. Data were analyzed using the ANOVA, independent sample t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient tests in the SPSS . 

  Results: Three hundred and twenty two students participated in this study. The students' problem-solving skill (mean=89.5) and assertiveness (mean=12.1) were moderate. The study showed that last year students reported higher assertiveness skill than the freshmen (F=2.85 P≤0.037). The level of assertiveness was correlated with the level of problem-solving skill .

  Conclusion: Educational programs should provide opportunities for nursing students to enhance life skills such as problem solving and assertiveness skills. Nursing schools should improve students' skills in clinical approaches to be better care professional .

  

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  Background & Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the spiritual health among nursing and midwifery students at Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2012 .

  Methods & Materials: This was a cross-sectional study in which all 222 nursing and midwifery students studying at Kerman University of Medical Sciences were recruited to study. Data were gathered using t he Palutzian & Ellison questionnaire of spiritual well-being. The obtained data were then analyzed in the SPSS-20 using parametric statistical tests such as independent t-test and Anova . 

  Results: Results showed that spiritual well-being of nursing and midwifery students was in the good range. Except gender, no statistically significant relationships were observed between the mean of spiritual well-being and parameters such as age, marital status, academic year, and field of study .

  Conclusion: According to the findings , spiritual health among nursing and midwifery students was moderate. It is necessary to promote spirituality among nursing and midwifery students .

  

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  Background & Aim: Transition from studentship to working life is a stressful and challenging event. The concept of transition is important in nursing education, management, and practice issues. However, despite its supreme importance, there are certain ambiguities about the concept of transition in nursing. The aim of this study was to analyze the concept of transition in the context of nursing in Iran.

  Methods & Materials: We used the three-phase hybrid concept analysis model including the theoretical phase, the fieldwork phase, and the final analytic phase in this study. In the theoretical phase, we conducted an online literature search to find relevant articles published prior to 2012. In the fieldwork phase, five novice nurses, two experienced nurses, and one head-nurse were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis approach. During the final analytic phase, we compared the findings of the first two phases to provide a clear and comprehensive definition of the concept of transition . 

  Results: The findings of the theoretical phase revealed that transition was a process phenomenon having defined attributes such as detachment, individual perception, awareness, and human response patterns. According to the findings of the fieldwork phase, transition was an interactive, evolutionary, and time-bound phenomenon that embodies attributes such as socialization, unavoidability, and competence and ability development. In the final analytic phase, a comprehensive definition was provided for the concept of transition in the context of nursing in Iran .

  Conclusion: This study provided a comprehensive understanding of the concept of transition from nursing studentship to working life in Iran. The findings of this study can be used to develop theories, instruments, and criteria for evaluation of novice nurses’ transition to experienced nurses .

  

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  Background & Aim: Depression is common among nursing and midwifery students. Problem-solving is a short-term intervention that can be used to treat psychological problems. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of problem-solving skills training on depression scores among nursing and midwifery students .

  Methods & Materials: This was a clinical trial. Nursing and Midwifery st udents (n=900) studying at Tabriz and Urmia universities were recruited in the study during 2 010-2011. The Beck Depression Scale was administered in both schools. Ninety two students who achieved a score above 10 in the Beck Depression Scale were selected. One school was randomly allocated to the intervention group and the other one was allocated to the control group. Students in the intervention group received six sessions of problem-solving skills training within three weeks. T he questionnaire was completed by the participants in both schools after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test . 

  Results: After the intervention, the Beck Depression Inventory score in the intervention group decreased from 18.60 to 13.41 (P<0.01). There were no differences in the control group before and after the intervention (P<0.01) .

  Conclusion: The problem-solving skills training program reduced depression scores. Providing information and using the problem-solving skills training are recommended .

  

 

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  Background & Aim: The aim of present study was to assess psychometric properties of premenstrual symptoms screening tool (PSST) to provide a fast and appropriate screening tool for women who suffer from severe PMS/PMDD and their clinicians .

  Methods & Materials: It was a cross-sectional study. The study included 404 female students studying at Semnan University who were randomly selected using stratified method. In order to assess psychometric properties, we used the exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity (evaluated by symptom checklist-90-Revised), criterion-related validity (calculated by comparing psychiatrist diagnosis and PSST). Sensitivity and specificity coefficients of optimal cutoff points were calculated by the ROC Curve and construct validity was evaluated by the PSST ability to separate PMS and PMDD groups from healthy group. Reliability was evaluated using the cronbach’s alpha and test-retest method . 

  Results: The p rinciple component analysis revealed that the PSST consists of four factors: interest reduction, interference in functions, physical and neurotic symptoms, and eating and sleep patterns. As an evidence of convergent validity, PSST scores showed significant correlations with the SCL-90-R’s dimensions. Agreement coefficient between psychiatrists and the PSST diagnosis was 0.314 for the PMS and 0.80 for the PMDD. This tool separated the PMS and PMDD groups from healthy group well. Optimal Cutoff point for separating females suffering from PMDD was 2.22. The sensitivity and specificity coefficients were 0.9 and 0.77, respectively. The cronbach’s alpha was 0.91 and the test-retest reliability was 0.56 for the total tool .

  Conclusion: The translated version of the premenstrual symptoms screening tool can be used as a valid tool for Iranian females. This instrument can be useful for rapid screening and identifying women who suffer from severe PMS/PMDD, especially in clinical settings .

  

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  Background & Aim: Midwives are responsible for providing health services to mothers and infants in crises. The aim of this study was to identify educational needs of midwifery students regarding mother and infant mortality prevention in crisis situations .

  Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, all 235 final-year BSc. and MSc. midwifery students were selected from four medical universities located in Tehran. Informed consent forms were completed and signed by the students. The students completed a researcher-made two-section questionnaire including demographic items and educational needs items regarding mother and child preventive services in crises. Data were analyzed in the SPSS . 

  Results: Mean score of the m aternal and neonatal prevention service dimensions were 70±21.5 ( out of 105 ) and 46.7 ± 9 (out of a 65), respectively. Most of the students (86.8% ) declared that their academic education did not prepare them for their roles in crises. Only 10.6% of the students had some courses on crisis and 11.5% of them had the experience of dealing with crisis. The students in the BSc. degree had more educational needs in both dimensions compared to the students in the MSc. degree (P<0.046). There were significant relationships between the age of students (P<0.001), their clinical experience (P<0.001), previous educational courses (P<0.001) and experience in crisis (P<0.05) with the educational needs. There was no significant relationship between the educational needs and the students’ universities ( P>0.05 ) .

  Conclusion: Educational curriculums should be revised regarding actions to be done on prevention of mother and infant mortality in crises .

  

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Background & Aim: Because of the importance of empathy and positive impact on the relationship between patients and health care providers, as well as the lack of valid instrument to assess student's empathy in health domain, this study aimed to examine the factor structure and reliability of the Persian version of JSE-HPS in the students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 398 nursing and midwifery students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences were selected using stratified random sampling. The data collection instrument was JSE-HP. The confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the instrument, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was applied to examine its reliability. The data analysis was done using LISREL version 8.8 and SPSS version 20.

Results: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis model showed given that fitness model parameters, including CFI, GFI, AGFI and NFI were approximately 1 and RMSEA index was less than 0.1, the fitness of three-factor model is appropriate. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total instrument was 0.63.

Conclusion: The current study confirmed the three-factor structure of the Persian version of JSE-HPS (20 items), included perspective taking, compassionate care and standing in patient’s shoes. Thus, this instrument is appropriate to measure empathy for patient in the health service provider students.

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Background & Aim: Needlestick injury is an occupational risk. Medical university students are more likely to prone to this kind of injury in comparison to other students due to their limited knowledge, skills and clinical experiences. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of needlestick injury in medical university students in Iran.
Methods & Materials: In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, 22 papers written by Iranian researchers published in Persian and English, were included without time limitations. The articles were found by searching Iranian (Magiran, Scientific Information Databases (SID) and IranMedex) and international (Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus) databases. Data were analyzed using meta-analysis method and the random effects model.
Results: The overall prevalence of needlestick injury among medical university students was 47% (95% CI: 39-55). There was no relationship between vaccine coverage, age of samples, and sample size with the prevalence of needlestick injury. The prevalence of needlestick injuries significantly decreased with increase in the publication years of articles (P=0.03), and significantly increased (P=0.049) with lack of reporting.
Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of needlestick injury in the students of medical sciences universities, it is of great necessity to design educational programs focusing on the proper use of sharp and cutting instruments as well as the importance of reporting and modifying professional behavior such as avoiding the reinsertion of needles in order to reduce the incidence rate of needlestick injuries.
 

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Background & Aim: Some studies across different disciplines have investigated students’ learning styles (LS) separately. However, few studies have investigated the LS of students of various educational disciplines in Medical Sciences. We aimed to determine the LS of students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences.
Methods & Materials: In this descriptive-cross-sectional study, 228 students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences were selected by cluster sampling in 2017. Data collection tool was the latest version of Kolb's learning style inventory. Finally, the data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical (Chi square) tests using the SPSS software version 18.
Results: In this study, 54.8% of students were female and 89.5% were single. 63.2% had the average scores higher than 16 and 52.2% were at second semester. The LS of students were assimilation (40.4%), divergent (21.9%), accommodation (19.3%), and convergent (18.4%). There was a significant relationship between the type of LS with the field of study (P=0.014) and average score (P=0.006), but there were no correlations between the type of LS with gender, age, marital status and academic semesters (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Considering that the assimilation LS was predominant within the students and given the fact that medical profession is a communicative, people-centered, and practical work, the faculty needs to emphasize the LS of students, and use various teaching strategies to strengthen and enhance the capabilities which are necessary for this group in educational and clinical settings.
 

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Background & Aim: The healthy nutrition education is one of the most important priorities in all life periods, especially in childhood. The teaching method is also considered one of the important factors for the effectiveness of education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of lecture and role-playing methods on awareness of healthy nutrition in school-age children.
Methods & Materials: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60 primary school students in Gonabad city in 2017. Participants were selected by multistage random sampling and allocated into two groups of role-playing and lecture. Students' awareness was measured by a self-structured questionnaire before, immediately and one month after education. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 16 by descriptive and inferential statistics. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The mean score of awareness for the role-playing group before, immediately and one month after the intervention respectively was 10.77±2.55, 14.1±55.15 and 14.50±1.10 and for the lecture group respectively was 11.07±1.85, 13.72±1.43 and 11.47±2.84 (the score range: 0-16). There was a significant difference in the mean score of awareness before, immediately and one month after the intervention between the two groups (P<0.001), and in the role-playing group, the increase in awareness score was more than in the lecture group.
Conclusion: Considering the greater effect of role-playing method than lecture on healthy nutrition education in school-age children, it is suggested that more attractive, dynamic and effective methods such as role-playing, in accordance with educational behavioral goals, be used in school nutrition education programs. In addition to enhancing educational efficiency, this will make the effects of education and learning more sustainable for students.
 

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Background & Aim: Clinical competence is the ability to perform professional tasks and coordinate cognitive, communication and psycho-motion skills in patient care, and empathy is one of the factors influencing clinical competence. Given the role of clinical competence in the quality of midwifery care, this study aimed to determine the effect of empathy skill training on clinical competence in midwifery students.
Methods & Materials: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 73 midwifery students and 438 pregnant women in 2015. A clinical competence questionnaire was used to assess the clinical competence of the students, which was completed in two ways by self-assessment and researcher assessment (after reviewing the student's performance for 3 times). Data were analyzed by chi-square test, independent t-test and paired t-test using the SPSS software version 16.
Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the mean score of clinical competence in the ways of self-assessment and assessment by the researcher before the intervention (P>0.05). Results from the post-intervention showed that there was significant difference between the two groups. However, the clinical competence score by the researcher assessment in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.05). Also, the difference in the mean scores of the self-assessment of clinical competence before and after the intervention between the two groups was not significant (P>0.05), but the difference in the mean scores of the researcher assessment of clinical competence before and after the intervention between the two groups was significant (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Empathy skill training is an effective way to increase the clinical competence of students.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT 2016051127855N1
 

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Background & Aim: Rumination is a prevalent issue among medical science students, potentially affecting their academic performance. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Mandala therapy in reducing rumination among medical science students at the Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon branch.
Methods & Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. A total of 40 medical students from the Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon branch, who exhibited signs of rumination participated in the study in 2023. Participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (20 participants) or the control group (20 participants). The intervention consisted of four 60-minute sessions of Mandala therapy. Data were collected using the Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow's rumination questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed using SPSS version 26 to analyze the data.
Results: Demographic analysis indicated no significant differences between the experimental and control groups concerning gender, age, or semester (P<0.001). The ANCOVA results revealed that the Mandala Therapy intervention significantly reduced the rumination scores of the experimental group compared to the control group (P<0.005).
Conclusion: The results suggest that rumination levels in the experimental group decreased significantly following the intervention compared to the control group. Therefore, Mandala therapy may serve as an effective non-pharmacological approach for mitigating rumination among medical science students.
 

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Background & Aim: Electrocardiography (ECG) is the most widely utilized diagnostic tool in medicine. However, nursing students often have problems with interpreting ECGs, highlighting the need for revised training methods. This study aimed to assess the effect of ECG drawing assignments on nursing students' learning and their perspectives on this teaching method in the context of a critical care nursing course.
Methods & Materials: This quasi-experimental study involved 52 fifth-semester BSc nursing students enrolled in the fall and spring terms at Qom University of Medical Sciences. For the fall group, traditional lectures and Q&A sessions were conducted during the first half of the semester, followed by an assignment requiring students to draw common ECGs in the second half. In contrast, for the spring group, students drew ECGs during the first half of the semester. Learning outcomes were assessed through a written test, while students’ perspectives on the drawing assignments were evaluated using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22, employing Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests to compare groups.
Results: The mean score from the perspective questionnaire regarding ECG drawing was 14.86±3.34 (maximum score of 18). In most cases, students had positive or relatively positive views towards this teaching method. A significant difference was observed between the course exam scores of students when they engaged in drawing ECGs compared to when they did not (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Drawing ECGs can be helpful in enhancing learning outcomes in the critical care nursing course and may increase students’ motivation to learn.