Enhancing pre-anesthesia care knowledge and skill: A mixed-method study on multi-method educational intervention for...

Given the anesthesia team's crucial role and the necessity of strong pre-anesthesia knowledge for nurse anesthesia students' patient safety, innovative teaching methods are vital for enhancing their ability to maintain safety and improve care. This research examines a multi-method educational intervention's impact on undergraduate nurse anesthesia students' pre-anesthesia knowledge and skills.

A randomized controlled trial with a mixed-methods approach pre-test and post-test design was conducted at AJUMS, Iran. This study involved 48 second and third-year undergraduate anesthesia students, randomly split into control (n = 24) and intervention (n = 24) groups. The intervention group received three 2-hour training sessions using a multifaceted approach. This included initial focus groups for needs assessment and identifying student challenges, followed by simulation (using mannequins and standardized patients in hypothetical clinical scenarios) to teach pre-anesthesia care knowledge and skills. A final focus group summarized key learnings, with content analysis applied to all focus group data. The control group received only standard training during their internship, with no supplementary instruction. Data on students' knowledge and skills in this domain were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire and checklist. Subsequently, covariance analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 for statistical analysis. The Chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and analysis of covariance models were used.

Participants, with a mean age of 22.83 years and approximately 75% female, showed significant improvements. In the post-test, the intervention group's mean knowledge scores increased from 14.20 to 17.17 (P < 0.001), and their skill scores increased from 77.12 to 93.92 (P < 0.001). The control group also improved, with knowledge scores increasing from 14.21 to 15.79 (P < 0.001) and skill scores increasing from 76.25 to 84.67 (P < 0.001). Crucially, the intervention group's post-test scores for both knowledge and skills were significantly higher than the control group's (P < 0.001).

The multi-method educational intervention demonstrates the potential for significantly enhancing pre-anesthesia care knowledge and skills among undergraduate anesthesia students. Consequently, its incorporation into their educational curricula is recommended.