Effectiveness of a Teaching Program on Ebola Virus Knowledge Among Nursing Students

Introduction Ebolaviruses are negative-stranded RNA viruses in the <i>Filoviridae</i> family. They are transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or animals, and they cause severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever, with mortality rates ranging from 25% to 90%, depending on the outbreak and available healthcare resources. These viruses cause severe systemic disease with high mortality rates. Given the infectious nature of Ebola and the critical role of healthcare providers in managing outbreaks, educating nursing students on the virus's transmission, prevention, and treatment is essential. Enhancing the knowledge of future healthcare professionals can improve healthcare system preparedness, ensuring effective response during outbreaks and reducing the virus's impact. Methodology A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design was utilized to assess the effectiveness of a planned teaching program on Ebola virus knowledge among nursing students. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select participants from nursing colleges in Navi Mumbai. The teaching program, which covered Ebola virus transmission, prevention, and treatment, was administered to the selected students. A pre-test was conducted to assess baseline knowledge, followed by the teaching intervention, and a post-test was performed to measure knowledge gains. Data were analyzed using frequency and percentage distribution and paired t-tests to compare pre-test and post-test scores. Results A study was conducted with 50 second-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students from MGM College of Nursing, Navi Mumbai, to assess the impact of an educational intervention. Participants included 41 females (82%) and nine males (18%), with most living in nuclear families (38 (76%)) and urban areas (45 (90%)). Before the intervention, the pre-test showed that participants' knowledge levels varied: 10 (20%) had average knowledge, eight (16%) had poor knowledge, and 32 (64%) had good knowledge. After the intervention, there was a marked improvement: 32 participants (64%) exhibited excellent knowledge, 16 (32%) had good knowledge, and only two (4%) remained at the average level. This shift highlights the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing participants' understanding. Statistical analysis using paired t-tests confirmed a significant increase in knowledge, with no notable associations between demographic variables and pre-test scores. Conclusion The study concluded that the planned teaching program significantly enhanced the knowledge of nursing students regarding Ebola virus infection. A notable improvement was observed in the post-test, with most students demonstrating excellent and good knowledge compared to average and poor knowledge levels in the pre-test. These results suggest that targeted educational interventions are effective in improving healthcare students' understanding of critical infectious diseases like Ebola. Furthermore, no significant associations were found between demographic variables and pre-test knowledge scores, indicating that the teaching program effectively reached all students. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating such teaching programs into nursing curricula to prepare students for managing future public health challenges.