A comparative analysis of the mastery of nursing knowledge for patients with deterioration between Chinese and Australian nursing students

Objective To investigate the mastery of nursing knowledge for diabetic patients with disease deterioration between Chinese and Australian nursing students and possible influencing factors, and to provide a reference for improving nursing teaching method in China. Methods From May to June, 2016, a self-designed online knowledge questionnaire was used to investigate the mastery of clinical emergency knowledge among the third-grade nursing students in Chongqing Medical University in China and Flinders University in South Australia. A total of 303 questionnaires were collected, among which 243 valid questionnaires (164 from Chinese students and 79 from Australian students) were included in statistical analysis, with an effective collection rate of 80.20%. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis, and the paired t-test or the chi-square test was used for data comparison. Results Australian nursing students had a significantly higher score of clinical emergency knowledge than their Chinese counterparts (t=4.115, P=0.000). Compared with the low-score group (score<12), the high-score group (score≥12) had a significantly higher proportion of students with a family/medical history of diabetes, clinical experience in diabetes care, or self-learning as the main method (P<0.05). As for learning method, Australian nursing students tended to use online self-learning (60 students, 75.95%) and do assignments (56 students, 70.89%) and participate in class discussion (51 students, 64.56%), while Chinese students tended to receive theoretical teaching (138 students, 84.15%), consult clinical teachers (138 students, 84.15%), and receive simulation/experimental teaching (123 students, 75.00%). Conclusion Chinese nursing students have lower degrees of willingness for self-learning and mastery of knowledge for disease deterioration than Australian nursing students. Focus on specialized practice, development of online teaching, and cultivation of the awareness and ability for self-learning may help to improve the mastery of clinical emergency knowledge among nursing students. Key words: Nursing; Bachelor; Disease deterioration; Teaching Method; Australia