Enhancing nursing preparedness for global health emergencies: the role of MOOCs in risk communication training

Massive online open courses (MOOCs) have had a significant impact on education in various fields, including nursing. However, their full potential has not been fully realized in nursing education, especially in terms of ongoing professional development. This study aims to address a specific gap in healthcare education such as the lack of MOOCs designed to enhance nurses' skills in risk communication during global health crises. Although MOOCs are recognized as versatile learning tools, there is limited research on their usefulness in nursing education. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a developed MOOC course to enhance nurses' knowledge and proficiency in risk communication. The study utilized a quasi-experimental approach, specifically a one-group pre-test and post-test design involving 40 registered nurses from a university medical center. Participants completed a four-week MOOC course on the i-Taleem platform(IIUM eLearning platform), which focused on risk communication. Pre- and post-course assessments were conducted, and the data were analyzed using a Paired T-test in SPSS version 20.0. The results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in test scores (p = 0.022), indicating that the MOOC effectively improves nurses' understanding of risk communication in global health emergencies. This study not only highlights the effectiveness of MOOCs in addressing educational gaps but also provides a framework for integrating innovative educational interventions into nursing. These findings support the incorporation of specialised MOOCs into the nursing curriculum to better equip healthcare professionals for the complexities of global health emergencies.