The Clinical Effectiveness of Virtual Nursing Process Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Educational Evaluation and a Quasi-experimental Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mode of education, causing universities to shift from face-to-face to online delivery mode for offering various courses and programs. Thus, it is essential to focus on the curriculum content to tackle the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide methods to effectively educate nursing students in nursing practice. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the clinical effectiveness of virtual nursing process (NP) education in undergraduate nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This educational evaluation study with a quasi-experimental longitudinal design was applied in four educational steps over six months for first-year undergraduate nursing students (n = 30) using Iran's national learning virtual environment. Results: The paired t-test results showed a significant difference in the mean and overall scores of nursing diagnosis and nursing outcomes/goals before and after the virtual intervention (P < 0.001). Six months after virtual education, the students registered for the ‘clinical nursing process (CNP) unit in the third semester. In the final step of the study, the overall mean score of the students' nursing care plan was 16.59 ± 2.31, which was higher than the mean score, meaning virtual NP education was effective in a clinical setting. Conclusions: Virtual mode of teaching can be effective for theoretical and CNP education.