Can Oncology Nursing Education Change the Attitude of Nursing Students toward Cancer (Cancer Stigma)? A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the effect of the oncology nursing internship education on the attitudes of students (stigma) toward cancer patients. The study was conducted in a faculty of nursing in İzmir, Turkey.
 Methods: The quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design was used in this study. The sample of the study was composed of totally 84 students, who attended the course of Oncology Nursing Internship (n:43) and the course of Gynaecology and Obstetrics Nursing Internship (n:41). The Student Information Form and Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes Toward Cancer - Community Version were used as the data collection tool in the study. The students who were interns in oncology nursing received an education on oncology nursing including 280 hours of practice and 56 hours of theory and the other group had no education on the subject. In order to assess the efficiency of the education of oncology nursing internship on cancer attitude and to compare the groups, The Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes Toward Cancer - Community Version was applied again to both groups at the end of the semester. 
 Results: As a result of this study, it was found that the course of oncology nursing internship increased the positive attitudes of the students toward cancer patients (t=5.591, p=0.000). 
 Conclusion: The education programs of oncology nursing should be integrated into the nursing curricula to provide that nursing students provide more effective care services for cancer patients and develop more positive attitudes.