Effect of Simulation-Based intervention on Nurses' Performance regarding Neck Stretching Exercise for Patients Post Thyroid Surgery

Background: Exercises for stretching the neck, including simple neck movements, are recognized to be the most straightforward and productive type of exercise. Stretching activities alleviate pain and muscle weakness, increase flexibility and neuromuscular coordination, promote good posture, and improve physical activity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the simulation-based intervention on nurses' performance regarding neck stretching exercises for patients post-thyroid surgery. Method: Research design: A quasi-experimental research design was used to achieve the aim of this study. Setting: The study was conducted in the surgical department at Minia University Hospital. Subjects: A convenient sample of all (50) nurses who worked at the previously selected setting was included. Tools for data collection: Tool I: A structured interviewing questionnaire: it consisted of two parts: Part 1: Demographic data of the studied sample, Part II: - Nurses' knowledge regarding thyroid gland, thyroidectomy, and stretching exercises, and Tool II: Nurses' practices regarding stretching exercises (pre/posttest) was used to collect data. Results: There was a highly statistically significant difference between the studied nurses' knowledge and practice. The study result revealed that three-quarters of studied nurses had a poor level of knowledge, and three-fifths of them had an unsatisfactory level of practice about neck stretching exercises for patients post thyroid surgery before the implementation of the simulation-based intervention. The vast majority of the studied nurses had a good level of knowledge and most of them had a satisfactory level of practice after implementing simulation-based intervention. There was a highly statistically significant difference and improvement in nurses' performance after simulation-based intervention than pre-education. Conclusion: The present study concluded that simulation-based intervention had a positive effect on improving nurses' performance regarding neck stretching exercises for patients post-thyroid surgery. Recommendations: The study recommended that simulation-based intervention should be integrated as an effective method in nurses' training about neck stretching exercises for patients post-thyroid surgery.