INTRODUCTION:

Background of the Study:

Empowerment, is authority purposefully shared with others. Nursing empowerment means the ability to effectively motivate and mobilize self and others to accomplish positive outcomes in nursing practice and work environment. The empowerment of Health Care Worker’s (HCW’s) in meticulous patient safety practices calls for a demonstration of practical and evidence-based methods of high IPC (Infection Prevention and Control) standards to protect them from Healthcare Acquired Infection (HCAIs), decreasing the adverse socio- economic and psychological impact. Thus, strong programs and policies are a cornerstone to a resilient health system effective in prevention, detection, and response to public health crises and disease outbreaks¹.

According to WHO, the prevalence of Healthcare Acquired Infection in developed countries is 7.6% while in developing countries is about 10%. The WHO has estimated that every year, about 3 million HCPs globally experience exposure to blood-borne Hepatitis C and B and HIV viruses while 2.5% of HIV cases and 40% of HBV and HCV cases among HCPs all over the world are caused by exposures to such infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended using standard precautions by both health care workers and patients. Many studies conclude that adherence to standard precautions measures is fundamental to controlling healthcare-associated infections among health care workers as well as patients.²

NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

Simulation involves a person, a device or a set of conditions, and permits a repetitive practice of skills to a prescribed level of proficiency in a risk–free environment. Deliberate practice of a skill through multiple repetitions and constructive feedback is the key for developing expertise and ensuring that the skill is being learned correctly.Simulation (Doolen et al., 2016; Oanh et al., 2021), allows students to reach an optimal learning level and the development of critical skills and reflective analysis (Raurell - Torreda`et al., 2020). The benefits described by nursing students are an increase in the level of self- confidence. The consequences of nursing student empowerment are high self-esteem and contribution to quality improvement in nursing. It is essential to assess their existing knowledge and to plan for further strategies to improve their knowledge so as to minimize hospital acquired infection. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the knowledge and skill on infection control practices among student nurses.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Simulation-Based Learning Module on Infection Control Practices upon Competency among Nursing Students at a Selected College of Nursing, Chennai.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

1. To assess the competency (knowledge and skill) of nursing students on Infection control practices

2. To determine the effectiveness of Simulation Based Learning Module on Infection control practices by comparing the competency (knowledge and skill) on infection control practices among nursing students.

3. To find out the correlation between knowledge and skill on infection control practices among nursing students.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:

Effectiveness:

It refers to the outcome of Simulation Based Learning Module on infection control practices for nursing students as evidenced by improvement in competency of nursing students after the intervention.

Simulation Learning Module on Infection Control Practices (SBLM on ICP):

Simulation learning module includes learning objectives, pre- requisite knowledge for students, pre-simulation preparation, simulation design process, simulation scenario, role of participants and debriefing sessions. A comprehensive learning module by artificially creating real life situation of a clinical unit which includes hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, biomedical waste management and isolation by making use of a low fidelity simulator. ( 2hrs – 5 sessions, one hour per session, in 6 groups in rotation)

Competency:

It refers to the knowledge and skills performed by the undergraduate nursing students on Infection control practices.

Knowledge:

It refers to the information gained by the undergraduate nursing students on infection control practices, as measured by structured knowledge questionnaire.

Skill:

It refers to the performance of the undergraduate nursing students on Infection control practices during the specific situations as measured using an observational checklist.

Null Hypotheses:

H_O1 - There will be no significant difference in competency scores on infection control practices between pretest and post-test among nursing students.

H_O2 - There will be no significant correlation between knowledge and skill among nursing students.

and practice of infection prevention.

A randomized controlled study was conducted by Koo et al (2016) in Michigan with the aim that making infection prevention education interactive can enhance knowledge and improve outcomes was conducted among 375 female certified nursing assistants. Score improvement was highest for modules emphasizing hand hygiene, urinary catheter care, and MDROs (15.6%, 15.9%, and 22.0%).

METHODOLOGY:

Research Approach: Evaluative approach

Research Design: One group Pretest –Post-test Research design

Independent Variables: Simulation Based Learning Module (SBLM) on infection control practices.

Dependent Variables: Competency (Knowledge and Skill) of Nursing Students

Research Setting: The study was conducted at Apollo College of Nursing, Chennai, which is affiliated with The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R Medical University and recognised by Indian Nursing Council, and TNNMC offering B.Sc. Nursing Program, P.B.B.sc (N), M.sc (N) and PhD (N).

Target Population: Undergraduate Nursing Students.

Accessible Population: B.Sc. Nursing III year students studying in the selected college of Nursing, Chennai.

Sample Size: 30

Sampling Technique: Simple Random Sampling.

Data Collection tools

· Background Variable Proforma of Students.

· Structured Knowledge Questionnaire (MCQ) on Infection control practices – 25 items

· 5 OSCE stations with Observation checklist to assess the skills on Infection control

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Table.1. Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Background Variables among Nursing Students N=30

Background Variables	f	%
Age in Years
20 – 22	23	77
23 -25	7	23
Area of Residence
Rural	12	40
Semi Urban	14	48
Urban	4	12
Academic Performance (Previous Year)
Distinction and above	9	30
First Class	21	70

Table 1 reveals that majority of the nursing students were aged between 20 - 22 years (77%) with mean age of 19.98+9.38 and scored first class in previous year academic performance (70%) and nearly half of them (48%) from semi urban area.

Table 2: Comparison of Pre-test and Post-test Mean and Standard Deviation of Competency (Knowledge and Skill) on Infection Control Practices among Nursing Students N=30

Competency	Knowledge
Competency	Mean	SD	Mean Diff	Independent “t” value
Pretest	9.54	4.14	9.23	t=11.44 p<0.001
Post Test	18.77	2.55	9.23	t=11.44 p<0.001

Competency	Skill
Competency	Mean	SD	Mean Diff	Independent “t” value
Pretest	34.86	1.38	6.4	t=14.82 p<0.001
Post Test	41.26	0.63	6.4	t=14.82 p<0.001

Maximum obtainable score = 25 (knowledge), 50 (skill)

Table 2 reveals that, there was a significant difference in mean knowledge scores on infection control practices between pre-test (M = 9.54/25 and SD = 4.14) and post-test (M = 18.77/25 and SD=2.55) with ‘t’ value of 11.44 at p<0.001 and also there was higher significant difference in mean practice scores on infection control practices between pretest (M = 34.86/50 and SD = 1.38) and post-test (M = 41.26/50 and SD = 0.63) with ‘t’ value of 14.82 at p< 0.0001. Hence, the null hypothesis H₀1 “There will be no significant difference in competency scores on infection control practices between pretest and post-test among nursing students.” was rejected.

The study results were consistent with a quasi-experimental study conducted by Ruiz- Fernandez, (2022) among 130 nursing students to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical simulation on home visit. The study findings revealed that mean age of 22.2 years and an increase in general self-efficacy, self-determination, impact, empowerment (total score), and emotional clarity was observed after the intervention. When comparing the data before and after the simulation, a statistically significant increase was observed in the scores of self-efficacies (p < 0.001), empowerment (p < 0.001).

Table 3: Correlation between Knowledge and Skill on Infection Control Practices among Nursing Students N=30

Variables	Pre test		Post test
Knowledge Vs Practice	r value	p value	r value	p value
Knowledge Vs Practice	0.7579	0.0001	0.3998	0.8345

The data presented in table 3 reveals that there was a significant correlation between pretest scores of knowledge and skill (r=0.7579, p value 0.0001) on infection control practices among nursing students. Whereas there was no correlation between post-test scores of knowledge and skill (r = 0.3998, p value 0.8345) on infection control practices among nursing students. So the null hypothesis H_O2- “There will be no significant correlation between the knowledge and practice among nursing students was rejected with regard to pretest scores of knowledge and skill on infection control practices among nursing students.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

· The same study can be conducted on a large sample size and in different settings to generalize the results.

· A comparative study can be conducted between traditional teaching and simulation- based teaching.

CONCLUSION:

Clinical simulation is teaching and innovative tool that enhances the learning of nursing students. Simulation in infection control practices plays a pivotal role in the empowerment of nursing students and it is essential for the nursing profession that they are prepared to take on a collaborative role as team players and for better patient outcomes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

I would like to thank all the participants for supporting me to conduct this study. I would like to thank my research guide and clinical guide who helped me throughout the study. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for all who has directly or indirectly helped me during my study period.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The authors have no conflict of interest.

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Received on 27.09.2024 Revised on 21.11.2024

Accepted on 26.12.2024 Published on 24.02.2025

Available online from March 17, 2025

Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2025;15(1):39-42.

DOI: 10.52711/2349-2996.2025.00009

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