Effectiveness of a Basic Education Program on Radiation-Related Health Concerns for Nurses of Public Health and School Health in Japan

Abstract

Background: After the Japanese nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, many residents became concerned about health effects of radiation. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program for public health and school health nurses to improve their skills and expertise for better support to residents and students.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study using single-group and pre-post comparison in 2016 in Hiroshima, Kagoshima and Hyogo prefectures of Japan. The educational evaluation was conducted through each sub-item of Bloom’s attainment goals. The evaluation of effectiveness was surveyed among 61 participants before and immediately after the workshop, and at 1-week and 1-month later. The analysis compared initial scores obtained before the workshop with subsequent responses. Where a significant difference was observed among three-group or more in the Friedman test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for two-group comparisons across the time periods. The significance level was set at P<0.05.

Results: Data of 54 participants were analyzed. The knowledge based on Bloom’s taxonomy was increased as the number of correct responses increased significantly after the workshop (P<0.001). Cognitive domain was significantly increased after 1-week and 1-month (P<0.001). Affective and psychomotor performances were also increased compared with prior. Participants increased vocabulary related to radiation and developed confidence in radiation disaster recovery measures.

Conclusion: Each sub-item of the Bloom’s attainment (goal, cognitive, affective, psychomotor) has almost been reached and the effect was maintained even after 1-month. By learning concrete words, they could explain accurately. Participants improved their confidence after receiving the training to respond and clarify the radiation anxieties to the community people.