- Abstract
- Introduction
- Problem Statement
- Clinical Implications
- Summary of Educational web-Program Content
- Conclusion
Background: Flooding is becoming more present in our communities; the ability to identify the signs and symptoms of waterborne diseases is necessary because many of the members of the flooded areas might travel to a different region in search of shelter or family support. The flood victims may present in a healthcare center or clinic for care.
The literature review for the study demonstrated that there is a paucity of studies specifically for waterborne infections. All the studies reviewed a more general educational approach for infectious diseases related to disasters/epidemics. Therefore, there is a lack of educational resources concerning the assessment of the risk prevention, signs, symptoms and recommendations for post-flood waterborne infectious diseases.
Healthcare providers could benefit tremendously from ongoing educational programs aimed to educate, train and reinforce the acquired knowledge about waterborne illness post-floods before a disaster strikes our communities.
Conceptual Framework: This project aims to present an intervention based on The SELF-EFFICACY component of Bandura’s theory. The Healthcare providers who use the educational product will have self-efficacy in identifying and treating waterborne diseases post-floods.
Research Question: In the case of waterborne infections, what are the signs and symptoms of these infections and how knowledgeable are students enrolled in the advanced nursing degree program on the topic of these diseases?
Significance to Nursing: The participants will be able to:
- List at least three reasons outbreaks of infectious disease may occur in post flood environments, such as in Puerto Rico, Texas & New Orleans.
- Explain what vaccines, medications and precautions are recommended to healthcare workers to assist patients from post-flood locations.
- Discuss the epidemiology symptoms & treatment of Cholera, Typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Giardiasis, Cryptosporidiosis and Leptospirosis.
Sample/Methods: With the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, the pilot study was conducted in a higher education institution which was the source of enrolled participants. A convenience end sample of 25-30 volunteer Graduate Nursing students were invited to participate and complete the web-based program. These participants were asked to follow the website link flooddiseases.com which contained the educational program on post-flood diseases and a pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire to evaluate the learning experience. The participants were asked to read, view pictures, table/figures, and navigate an educational website.
The pre-questionnaire will be administered prior to accessing the website. The students then used the educational website to review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, signs, symptoms and treatment recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and the NHSN regarding identification of prevalent post-flood waterborne diseases.
All potential participants received an initial invitation to participate in the educational based website module and a consent form before participation was provided at the time of their agreement to the study, their willingness to participate was documented. During the pre-and post-test no data was collected that could link the participants to their response.
After the educational based website module was completed, the students had the opportunity to complete the post-questionnaire to prompt the student’s response to the educational based program; the data was collected and analyzed by conducting a reliability testing. This allow for mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) within and between tests. The pre-questionnaire was utilized to establish student’s baseline knowledge of post-flood infectious diseases. The post-questionnaire determined if students increased their knowledge after using the education website program.
Results: This quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted to evaluate flooddiseases.com as an educational resource for healthcare providers. While the results of each question did not achieve a significant p-value due to small cell size, the percentages from the post test score compared to the pretest score had markedly increased. The results of the paired T-test indicated a significant improvement from the pretest to the post test score. A convenience end sample of 25 volunteer Graduate Nursing students were invited to participate and complete the web-based program. One subject was not included in the results because they failed to complete the entire program as instructed
Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The creation of this educational resource for healthcare providers will have a positive impact on the assessment skills and quality of care provided. The findings may further illuminate methods to improve instructional designs for future post-flood infectious disease education. A long-term goal post implementation includes increased commitment to the program and providing education regarding waterborne infections.
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