IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL PEDAGOGY ON REGISTERED NURSES’ KNOWLEDGE IN NEUROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY PATIENTS

Abstract

Background: Nurses perform neurological assessment to determine whether patients’ neurological condition is intact or there exists some problem. We aimed to assess the effect of educational pedagogy on the knowledge of nurses in neurological assessment of traumatic brain injury patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of educational pedagogy on 70 registered nurses of a tertiary care hospital from April to June 2021. Diploma holder nurses aged 25–50 years working in the morning shift were included. Nurses who had specialization in neurosciences and had planned to go on leave during study period were excluded. A 20-items validated tool was used for assessment. Correct response was marked as ‘1’ and wrong or missed as ‘0’. Knowledge was categorized as inadequate (1–6 score) <30%, moderate (7–13 scores) 35–65%, and adequate (14–20 scores) as 70–100%. Results: Frequency and percentages of demographic and professional variables were checked. Half of the registered nurses had inadequate knowledge (scores 1–6), while rest 50% had moderate knowledge (scores 7–13). No one had adequate knowledge during pre-assessment. The post-test results of the study illustrated that 34 (48.6%) nurses had moderate knowledge. Thirty-two (45.7%) nurses having adequate knowledge (score 14–20). Only 4 (5.7%) nurses had inadequate knowledge. Mean (?=13) of the post-test knowledge score was significantly higher than the mean (?=7.611) of the pre-test knowledge score. Conclusion: Educational intervention was effective in improving knowledge and skills competency of registered nurses in neurological assessment.