Development of a Community-Based Learning Model to Promote Holistic Family Health Nursing Care of Nursing Students

Abstract

     This participatory action research aims to develop a community-based learning model in this Practicum in Community Nursing and Basic Medical Care to promote holistic family health nursing care for nursing students. Data collection was conducted from May to October 2024. The study was divided into three phases: (1) situation analysis, (2) model development, and (3) model evaluation. The population and sample group comprised fourth-year nursing students in the academic year 2024, who were divided into two practice groups of 23 each, along with 6 alumni, 3 instructors, and 2 staff members from the Community Health Promotion Hospital. The sample was purposively selected, and data were collected through both qualitative and quantitative methods by utilizing questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

     The research findings are as follows: 1. The current management of community health nursing practice is hindered by the lack of clear practice manuals and supporting media, which impairs students’ understanding and skills. Instructors have varying levels of experience and teaching techniques, resulting in an unstructured learning process. Meanwhile, local hospital staff have extensive experience but limited availability, which impacts their support and training of nursing students. Additionally, the lack of appropriate tools and equipment further hampers practical training. Overall, this highlights the need to develop an integrated learning system to enhance students' competencies and enable effective real-world practice, 2. The developed learning model consists of requirements for learning outcomes, community-based teaching management processes, and evaluation criteria, and 3. The results of learning based on the community-based model showed that nursing students demonstrated significant improvements in holistic family health nursing practices across all aspects after the training. The practice group 1 showed notable improvements in knowledge, increasing from a mean score of 2.91 (σ=0.63) to 3.68 (σ=0.46), and in interpersonal relationship skills, from 3.13 (σ=0.66) to 3.82 (σ=0.37). Meanwhile, practice group 2 demonstrated significant development in quantitative analysis skills, from 3.29 (σ=0.97) to 3.77 (σ=0.32), and cognitive skills, from 2.94 (σ=0.81) to 3.42 (σ=0.49). nursing students have a high level of satisfaction with community-based learning management in all aspects and overall, with mean scores of 4.47 (σ=0.56) in Group 1 and 4.58 (σ=0.57) in Group 2. Additionally, instructors and health staff expressed satisfaction after the training, with mean scores of 4.93 (σ=0.12) and 5.00 (σ=0.00), respectively.

     The development of a community-based learning model requires close collaboration and teamwork among educational institutions, service facilities, and communities to enhance learning effectiveness. It is also essential to diversify learning approaches and incorporate technology to meet the needs of nursing students.