Factors and barriers influencing practice of health education among nursing students in Jordan

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Health education or client teaching is an aspect of nursing care recognized as a vital and professional nursing role. As a part of the nursing community, nursing students learn the importance of health education during the study period and are trained to make use of the principles of health education during their encounters with clients and their families. Aim: This article aims to examine the factors and barriers influencing health education practices among third- and fourth-year nursing students in Southern Jordan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional approach is used with a study sample of 286 nursing students enrolled in the undergraduate program. A self-reported questionnaire as an instrument to collate data. The questionnaire consists of two sections. The first section is related to the demographic data of the participants. The second section comprises the participant's responses to the items related to health education barriers. Descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, and frequencies are utilized to analyze the demographic characteristics and questionnaire items. RESULTS: The majority of nursing students report that they have not engaged in health education with patients. The first three factors identified by the students as barriers to health education are (Little time is given to patient health education due to paperwork and other assignments) (M = 4.22 and SD = 1.11), (Discharging patients from the hospital at a short time interrupts health education) (M = 4.15 and SD = 1.39), and (Evaluation of health education outcome is inapplicable due to intermittent days of training) (M = 4.05 and SD = 1.39). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that various barriers are suggested to explain the disparity between the expectation and practice of student nurses in health education. Identifying these barriers undermining health education is a positive step toward furnishing better health education for nurses in the future. Nursing students shall be fully supported to be independent and responsible professionals working within the nursing professional practices.