An intervention to promote civility among nursing students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Social Sciences
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Incivility in nursing negatively affects patient care and education quality.
• Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and Joint Commission highlight the need for strategies to manage incivility.
• Building social capital is crucial for a positive and productive nursing environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the impact of an intervention aimed at enhancing social capital and civility among nursing students.
• To investigate student nurses' perceptions and experiences related to civility in their academic and professional settings.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory, mixed-methods approach was employed.
• Twenty-five student nurses completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and participated in interviews.
• A subset of 10 students engaged in a journal club intervention focused on civility in nursing.

Main Results:

• Intervention participation led to significant shifts in students' attitudes and behaviors concerning civility.
• Students actively refused to engage in uncivil behaviors.
• Participants demonstrated increased peer support, helpfulness, and proactive efforts to prevent or avoid incivility.

Conclusions:

• The civility-focused journal club intervention showed positive effects on nursing students' behavior.
• Further research is recommended to expand upon these findings and test the impact of similar interventions.
• Implementing civility-building strategies is essential for improving nursing education and practice environments.