Comparing the Effect of Lecture-Based and Clinical Training on Nurses’ Knowledge and Skill in Caring for Patients with Angina Pectoris: A Clinical Trial

Background: Patients with angina pectoris need the training to control their disease. This training is mainly provided by nurses; therefore, they must be equipped with up-to-date and sufficient knowledge and skills to be capable of caring for patients. Objectives: This study aimed at exploring the effect of lecture-based training and clinical training on the knowledge and skill of emergency nurses in caring for patients with angina. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was carried out between 2018 and 2019 on all nurses working at the emergency ward of three hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Based on their working hospital, the subjects were randomized into three groups of lecture-based education, clinical training, and control. Using researcher-made questionnaires, nurses’ knowledge and skill in caring for patients with angina were assessed and compared before, immediately, and one month after the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS V. 22 using Kruskal-Wallis, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, and Friedman tests. Results: Friedman’s test showed a significant difference in nurses’ knowledge and skill scores of the two experimental groups at three stages of the study (P = 0.001), such that these scores were lower before the intervention than immediately and one month after the intervention. Moreover, Kruskal-Wallis test revealed a significant difference between the three groups in terms of knowledge and skill immediately after the intervention (P = 0.001) and one month after the intervention (P = 0.001), with the clinical training group scoring highest among the study groups in both of these stages. Conclusions: The results established that while both lecture-based education and clinical training could enrich nurses’ knowledge and skill in caring for patients with angina, clinical training depicts a greater efficacy and durability. Hence, it is suggested that health policy-makers adopt clinical approaches in their attempt to enhance nurses’ skills and performance. Furthermore, studies with higher sample sizes are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of these two educational methods in nursing.