Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to assess nursing and allied health students' knowledge and intention to care for patients with COVID-19

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of orthopedic operating room personnel regarding the use of pneumatic tourniquets

INTRODUCTION

Pneumatic tourniquets (PTs) play a crucial role in hemostasis during orthopedic surgery. This study aimed to investigate the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of orthopedic operating room personnel concerning the use of PTs.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted from Jul. 2023 to Aug. 2023. An online questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and KAP score data of the orthopedic operating room personnel from Hangzhou Regional Hospitals.

RESULTS

A total of 336 participants included orthopedic physicians (37.8%), orthopedic nurses (31.5%), anesthesiologists (8.9%), operating room nurses (19.9%) and medical students (1.8%). The median knowledge score was 28.5 (24, 32), with a maximum score of 38; the median attitude score was 31 (28, 35), of a maximum of 35; the median practice score was 41 (36, 44), of a maximum of 45. Correlation analysis showed links between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.388, p<0.001), knowledge and practice (r = 0.401, p<0.001), and attitude and practice (r = 0.485, p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that female gender (OR = 0.294, 95% CI: 0.167-0.520; p<0.001), working in a specialized hospital (OR = 0.420, 95% CI: 0.219-0.803; p = 0.009), and occupation as a surgical anesthesiologist (OR = 3.358, 95% CI: 1.466-7.694; p = 0.004) were associated with better knowledge scores. A higher educational degree (OR = 0.237, 95% CI: 0.093-0.608; p = 0.003) was associated with better practice scores. No previous training was associated with lower knowledge (OR = 0.312, 95% CI: 0.187-0.520; p<0.001) and practice (OR = 0.325, 95% CI: 0.203-0.521; p<0.001) scores.

CONCLUSION

Orthopedic personnel in this study had acceptable knowledge, attitude, and practice concerning the use of PTs; additional training and guidance might enhance proficiency.

Nurses' intention to care of COVID-19 patients in hospitals dedicated to infectious disease in South Korea: application of the theory of planned behavior and verification of the moderating effect of ethical nursing competence

BACKGROUND

The theory of planned behavior is a conceptual framework of recent studies to identify and explain nurses' intentions to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases. However, correlations between behavioral intentions and variables that explain them have been inconsistent in previous studies. The influence of new variables might be considered in this case. This study aimed to determine moderating effects of ethical nursing competence on nurses' intention to care for COVID-19 patients in hospitals dedicated to infectious diseases based on the theory of planned behavior.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data on intention to care for COVID-19 patients, perceived behavioral control, attitude toward the behavior, subjective norm, and ethical nursing competence were obtained from 190 nurses in three hospitals dedicated to infectious diseases in South Korea. The moderating effect of ethical nursing competence was analyzed using model I of PROCESS Macro.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Ulsan University Hospital, South Korea. Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.

RESULTS

The ethical nursing competence was a significant moderator in the relation between perceived behavioral control and the intention to care (B = 0.36, t = 2.16, p = 0.032). Ethical nursing competence did not have a significant interaction with attitude toward behavior or subjective norm.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that the higher the ethical nursing competence level, the greater the effect of perceived behavioral control on nurses' intention to care for COVID-19 patients. Promoting ethical nursing competence is necessary for nurses who would take care of patients at the frontline of the infectious disease pandemic. Nursing managers should include ethical nursing competence in the assessment of nurses' competence and design educational programs to enhance ethical nursing competence for efficient nursing staffing during a pandemic.

Psychometric validation of the nursing care behavior questionnaire during emerging disease epidemics: A theory of planned behavior approach

Background and objective

The Covid-19 pandemic could compromise the quality of care by impacting nurses' intention to provide care. Hence, investigating nurses' behavioral intentions when caring for patients during epidemics is essential. This research aims to assess the psychometrics of the "Nursing Care Behavior in Epidemics of Emerging Diseases" questionnaire, based on the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 311 nurses working in Covid-19 wards of selected hospitals in Ilam City, all of whom were enrolled through a census in 2021. The questionnaire underwent initial translation from English to Persian, followed by evaluations of its face, content, and construct validities. The nursing caring behavior questionnaire, comprising 46 items, was designed to assess behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, control beliefs, behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and nurses' intentions to care for Covid-19 patients. Data were analyzed for face, content, and construct validity using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Pearson correlation. Reliability was determined by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

Results

The intention to care dimension demonstrated an inverse correlation with the behavioral attitude dimension (p < 0.001). The most robust correlations were observed between the following paired dimensions: behavioral attitude and perceived power (p < 0.001), subjective norms and intention to care (p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control and subjective norms (p < 0.001), care intention and behavioral beliefs (p < 0.001), behavioral beliefs and behavioral outcome evaluation (p < 0.001), and normative beliefs with motivation to comply (p = 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the instrument exceeded 0.75.

Conclusion

According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, the nursing care behavior questionnaire proved to be a valid and reliable tool for evaluating nurses' care behaviors amidst emerging disease epidemics.

Factors influencing intention to plagiarize among nursing students in the Philippines

Background

Plagiarism is an ethical concern among students but is insufficiently discussed and acknowledged in some educational institutions. Determining what factors influence plagiarism can help the academic community manage its incidence.

Objective

This study determined the factors affecting the intention to plagiarize among Filipino nursing students.

Methods

Utilizing a cross-sectional research design, data were gathered from 304 nursing students last June 2021 using valid instruments administered online. Regression analysis identified influencing factors of intention to plagiarize.

Results

Findings indicated a generally low intention (M = 1.47, SD = 0.74) to plagiarize among nursing students. Internet literacy (B = -0.314, p <0.001), attitude (B = 0.257, p <0.001), moral obligation (B = -0.236, p <0.001), past behavior (B = 0.139, p <0.001), and subjective norm (B = -0.095, p = -0.001) influenced nursing students' plagiarism intention.

Conclusion

Several interrelated factors play major roles in nursing students' tendency to plagiarize. Creating an educational environment that does not favor the unethical practice of plagiarism is recommended for nursing schools.