COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIOR IN EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING PRACTICE AMONG ACADEMIC AND APPLIED BACHELOR'S DEGREE STUDENTS

Abstract

Introduction. The education of nurses in evidence-based practice (EBP) represents a continuous endeavor, commencing during their undergraduate education and persisting throughout their professional nursing trajectories. The evaluation of the sufficiency and efficacy of imparting evidence-based nursing (EBN) practice within the academic undergraduate curriculum commenced in the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2019, as a component of the ProInCa initiative ("Promoting the Innovation Capacity of Higher Education in Nursing during Health Services' Transition"), supported by Erasmus+. Four years subsequent to the integration of EBN practice courses within colleges and medical universities, it becomes imperative to undertake a comprehensive assessment to gauge the present state concerning the efficacy of this discipline. The objective of this study is to assess and juxtapose the efficacy of educational programs pertaining to EBN practice across applied and academic bachelor of nursing levels, with the aim of further refining the manag ement of this discipline. Materials and methods: An anonymous online questionnaire was administered utilizing the instrument titled "Assessment of teaching and learning evidence-based practice by assessing domains of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior". Prior to and following the completion of the EBN practice course in September 2023, one hundred and sixty-three second-year students from the Higher Medical College and «Danalyk» college in Astana and one hundred and forty-five nurses who underwent professional development training at the NJSC "Semey Medical University" were surveyed. The statistical significance of the findings was evaluated using the Student's paired T-test. Results. In the "Knowledge" domain, academic bachelor's degree students exhibited a lesser comprehension of the significance of knowledge and skills in EBN for daily practice (16.16±2.07 vs. 19.1±1.84; p=0.001), whereas applied bachelor's degree students consistently maintained a high level both pre- and post-study (21.76±2.87 vs. 21.94±3.36; p=0.001). Furthermore, notable differences in attitude were observed between the compared groups, with undergraduate students expressing more skepticism regarding EBN as a practical approach. Despite this skepticism, undergraduate students displayed enhanced confidence in applying EBN knowledge and skills in their daily practice (20.66±6.87 vs. 23.28±5.58; p=0.001), alongside an increased readiness to implement EBN in their present and future professional endeavors (34.05±4.69 vs. 36.2±3.75; p=0.001). Conclusions. Thus, students of applied and academic bachelor's degrees demonstrated an improvement in knowledge after completing the course on EBP, expressed their willingness to apply it in their professional activities, however, the perception of nursing as an art with a great emphasis on their own experience and individual approach to the patient remains.