The Impact of a “Brief ECT Orientation Module” on the knowledge and attitude of nursing students toward electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract

Context: Despite the proved effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of many psychiatric emergencies and disorders, ECT continues to be an intervention that attracts controversies. There are limited literature on attitude and knowledge of nursing students toward ECT from India. Aims: The aim was to explore the impact before and after Brief ECT Orientation Module on the knowledge and attitudes toward ECT among nursing students. Study Design: Pre- and post-study design. Subjects and Methods: Nursing students who had completed their psychiatric rotation were assessed using knowledge and attitude questionnaire before and after exposure to 1 h lecture, video representing the ECT procedure, and live demonstration of ECT. Informed consent was obtained from students who agreed to participate in the study. Statistical Analysis Used: Data analysis was done using SPSS version 17.0 SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA. The impact of Brief ECT Orientation Module on knowledge and attitude of nursing students was assessed by comparing the baseline score on the study questionnaire with the post module scores using student paired sample t-test and Chi-square test. Level of statistical significance was kept at P < 0.05 for all the tests. Results: Majority of the students had average knowledge about the effectiveness, mechanism of action, indications, consent, and side effects of ECT. There was a significant improvement seen toward all domains of the questionnaires post ECT module. Conclusions: Findings of the current study suggest that Brief ECT Orientation Module is effective in improving the knowledge and attitude of nursing students toward ECT.