Description

The COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty about the continuity of education in departments that include both theoretical and practical training, such as nursing. During this period, traditional teaching methods failed to meet the emerging requirements for education. The pandemic has made it necessary to use new technologies such as online learning, blended learning, simulation training.

Method of Nursing Education

Online learning is a web-based method of education using technology to maintain teacher–student interaction considering technical factors and socio-psychological variables. Online learning offers opportunities to improve students’ learning skills, imagination, creativity, logical, and critical thinking skills through a combination of various mediums, video recordings, computer simulations, multimedia textbooks, simultaneous group discussions, and other education methods.

Satisfaction is an important determinant of the quality of learning experiences. Higher satisfaction level in students reduces fatigue, increases motivation in learning and provides permanent learning. There are conflicting results in the literature regarding student satisfaction with online and face to face education. Pourghaznein found that satisfaction level was lower for students attending e-learning than for those attending face-to-face classes and role-play groups. Yangoz indicated that students' satisfaction with e-learning was lower than that with traditional method. Jeffries reported that student satisfaction was high in both groups who attended online learning and face-to-face education; however, the face-to-face education group had higher satisfaction level than the online learning group. Stanton found no significant difference in satisfaction levels between two groups of students, one of which took web-based education and the other took traditional education.

Nursing professional values likewise guide nurses when making decisions, practicing, and analyzing ethical problems. The values also guide nurses while interacting with healthy individuals, patients, colleagues, other team members and society. Moreover, internalization of nursing professional values improves the safety and quality of patient care. Having said that, there is no study available which investigates the relationship between online learning, professional perception, professional values, and student satisfaction. Hence, this study aimed to determine the effects of using case scenarios and skill videos in distance education as a practical teaching learning strategy on student satisfaction, professional perception, and professional values among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the South Africa nursing council postgraduate qualification in midwifery and bachelor's degree qualification framework mentioned the preparation of a woman and family for pregnancy, however, it did not include anything related to PCC provision in the postgraduate primary health care framework. There are also no policy guidelines for the PCC provision in South Africa, the importance of pre-pregnancy preparation for women and families is stipulated in the maternity care guidelines. Nevertheless, a recent study on PCC provision in South Africa identified the need to revisit the PCC trainings of healthcare workers.

Pre-Conception Care

Recently, the significance of Pre-Conception care (PCC) in the continuum of care has been recognised in lower- and middle-income countries. The United States centres for disease control and prevention and World Health Organisation (WHO) made recommendations for the improvement of preconception health and care. Preconception care interventions comprise a package of promotive, preventive, and curative health interventions that effectively improve maternal and child health. The proposed package of effective interventions aims to address some health problems, behaviours, and risk factors in the preconception period, increasing maternal and childhood mortality and morbidity likelihood. Therefore, based on the above recommendations, there is a need to upgrade the nursing curriculum to that effect. There is limited literature on the integration of PCC into the nursing curriculum. Therefore, this study aims to explore the integration of preconception care into the recently updated Bachelor of nursing curriculum in South Africa.

Perception of nursing refers to the way nurses think about nursing, and how they perceive themselves and their environment. It is basically the understanding of professional qualifications that a nurse should have, and it also includes the term professional status. In this context, nursing students’ perceptions about their professions represent their view of themselves, their environment, status of the nursing profession, and their thoughts about nursing education. Considering that the perception of nursing as a profession begins during nursing education, it is necessary for nursing students to develop a good image of nursing profession during their education period, as this image will affect the quality of health services they provide. In addition to these facts, professional values provide a basis for judgment of aims and actions. Professional values are developed by members of a profession who have a strong emotional commitment to their profession. These values are based on professional codes of ethics, and they are theoretical and generalized principles of behavior.

In the Netherlands, communication and interviewing skills were advocated to be included in the educational courses rendered to the healthcare professionals to provide PCC, as many are timid and reluctant to discuss the desire to conceive with women. Genuis also advocated for the environmental health education training of all the healthcare professionals taking care of women of reproductive age. To ensure that the necessary environmental and lifestyle modification advice is given to women. Biratu recommended that improvements in PCC implementation provisions be made for in service training of all healthcare providers, for pre-service training students, revision and integration of PCC in the curriculum for healthcare providers, and training of both teachers and policymakers on PCC. A study from Scotland promoted the inclusion of PCC in the school curriculum of healthy relationships, sexual health, and parenthood preparation delivered to students to ensure coverage. An Iranian study recommended that for improvement of preconception services, there is a need for an upgrade of knowledge, preparation, and training of all the people responsible for maternal and child health services.