Effect of Emotional Management Bundle on Nursing Clinical Examination Performance Among Nursing Students

Friday, 20 July 2018

Hsiang-Chu Pai, PhD, RN
Department of Nursing, Chung-Shan Medical University; Chung-Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

Purpose: Cultivation of nursing competence aims to ensure patients’ nursing quality and safety. Clinical simulations and clinical skill examinations are used to grasp the learning level and nursing competence of nursing students. Nevertheless, learners may encounter situational simulation anxiety when participating in clinical skill testing at simulation clinical skill centers, which may influence their actual performance. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of “emotion management bundle” intervention (music + autogenic relaxation training + testing guideline) on learners’ situational simulation anxiety and nursing performance in clinical simulation practice testing.

Methods: This study employed a quantitative approach and conducted one group pre-post-test design. Pre- and post- intervention evaluation of anxiety was conducted using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, Form Y). The clinical examination performance score was measured through clinical skill examination. A total of 300 students were contacted from three universities, and 272 responded (90.67%). In this study, we analyzed the responses of 59 students whose State-Trait Anxiety score was moderate on the pretest (mean values of state or trait anxiety score of students had above 60 points, respectively) before examination. Statistical analysis was conducted by paired t-test using SPSS version 20. A value of p < .05 was set for test the research questions.

Results: Most participants were female (91.5 %; male: 8.5 %), and their ages ranged from 19 to 23 years. The mean ages were 20.50 (SD = 1.03). Significant decrease was observed in both state anxiety (60.59 versus 55.49, t = 2.41, p< .05) and trait anxiety (66.20 versus 56.69, t = 4.47, p < .001) following “the emotion management bundle” intervention. A total of 46 (78%) students had passed the clinical skill examination.

Conclusion: The emotion management bundle helps reduce the level of anxiety. Thus, emotion management bundle intervention should be encouraged along with clinical examination to decrease anxiety among nursing students and improve their clinical skill performance.