Effectiveness of a Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Spill Management among Nursing Students in a Selected Nursing Institute of Ranchi, Jharkhand: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Healthcare professionals, especially nursing students during their clinical postings are at risk of exposure to biological, chemical, mercury, and radiological spills encountered in healthcare settings. Insufficient knowledge and inappropriate spill management practices may contribute to occupational injuries, healthcare-associated infections, and environmental contamination. Educational interventions play a crucial role in enhancing students' understanding and fostering safe spill management practices. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a planned teaching programme on nursing students' knowledge and attitude regarding hospital spill management and to examine the association between pre-test knowledge scores and selected demographic variables.

A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design was employed among 100 nursing students selected through convenience sampling from a nursing institute in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Data were collected using a structured knowledge questionnaire and a five-point Likert attitude scale. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to summarize the data. The effectiveness of the intervention was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, while the association between pre-test knowledge and demographic variables was determined using the Chi-square test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

At baseline, only 2% of participants demonstrated excellent knowledge, while 43% had good knowledge and 19% had average knowledge. Following the planned teaching programme, 93% of the participants attained excellent knowledge, whereas the remaining 7% achieved very good knowledge. The post-intervention improvement in both knowledge and attitude scores was highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, no significant association was identified between baseline knowledge and the selected demographic variables.

The findings indicate that the planned teaching programme was highly effective in improving nursing students' knowledge and attitude toward hospital spill management. Integrating structured educational sessions and regular competency-based training into nursing education may enhance infection prevention measures, promote safe spill handling practices, and strengthen occupational safety within healthcare settings.