Effectiveness of Multimedia Electronic Training on the Nurses' Adherence to Patient Safety Principles: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Ensuring patient safety is a fundamental responsibility of nurses. Training methods that enhance nurses' adherence to patient safety principles are essential, especially in critical situations where face-to-face training may not be feasible. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of multimedia electronic training in improving nurses' adherence to patient safety principles.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2021 and 2022 with 60 nurses from a hospital in Tehran, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention ( = 30) and control ( = 30) groups. Both groups attended an initial face-to-face session to introduce the study objectives. The intervention group then received a multimedia electronic training program on patient safety principles over 6 weeks (six 2-h sessions) and had access to a web-based question-and-answer platform. The control group received no intervention. Data were collected using an individual characteristics questionnaire and a patient safety adherence scale (with reverse scoring) before and 14 days after training. Statistical analyses, including independent -tests, paired -tests, tests, and Fisher's exact tests, were conducted using SPSS software ( < 0.05).

RESULTS

Before the intervention, no significant difference was observed between the intervention and control groups in adherence scores (144.17 ± 17.43 vs. 143.13 ± 18.22,  = 0.823). However, after training, the intervention group had significantly higher scores than the control group (166 ± 0.439 vs. 144.50 ± 17.71,  < 0.001). Additionally, adherence scores in the intervention group improved significantly after training ( < 0.001), while no significant change was observed in the control group ( = 0.633).

CONCLUSION

Multimedia electronic training is an effective approach to enhancing nurses' adherence to patient safety principles. This method is particularly beneficial in situations where traditional face-to-face training is unavailable. Integrating multimedia e-learning into nursing education programs is recommended to improve patient safety outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (No. IRCT20221129056661N1) on January 11, 2023.