Improving Knowledge and Attitude of Nurses Working In Chemotherapy Wards through a Short Educational Course: A Successful Experience in Mashhad

Background: Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Iran. Novel chemotherapeutic agents can lead to considerable improvements in cancer treatment, although using these agents requires special skills and experiences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a short course education on nurses’ knowledge and attitude. Methods: Overall, 24 nurses participated in this short educational course, supervised by several clinical/radiation oncologists. During a two-week period, several protocols of chemotherapy, complications associated with chemotherapy, and the management of adverse outcomes were taught to the participants with a special emphasis on nursing considerations. Before the program and at the end of the course, the Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) and Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) were used for evaluating the effectiveness of the program on the participants’ knowledge. Changing their attitude was also evaluated by an author-made Questionnaire. The mean knowledge and attitude scores before and after the interventions were compared using paired t-test. Results: Overall, Four participants (16%) were male and 20 (83%) were female. The majority of the subjects (90%) worked at chemotherapy wards. Sixteen (66%) versus twenty two (91%) nurses achieved a minimum score of 70% on MCQ before and after the course, respectively (p=0.03). The mean scores before and after the course were 18.7±8.6 versus 26±11 for MCQ (p=0.03) and 30.3±10 versus 45.3±14 for DOPS (p=0.004). The mean of attitudes’ score were 3.93±1.7 and 4.04±1.2 before and after the course, respectively, that showed a significant difference (p=0.01). Conclusions: Short educational courses about major subjects in oncology nursing could improve nurses’ knowledge and attitude.