Bridging the Knowledge Gap: An Assessment of Clinical Nutrition Preparedness Among Nursing Undergraduates in Hunan Province

Authors : Sun Qiang, Lin Yao, Wang Meiling

Pages : 41-47

View : 26 | Download : 0

Publication Date : 2025-08-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical nutrition preparedness of nursing students in the management of diet-related diseases and to identify knowledge gaps that could inform curriculum development. This is crucial as nurses play a pivotal role in patient education and the mitigation of chronic disease. MATERIALS and METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey was completed by 258 consenting third and final-year undergraduate nursing students at a major public university in Jinan, Shandong Province. The assessment tool consisted of 20 multiple-choice questions evaluating core nutritional principles relevant to clinical practice. RESULTS: The mean score achieved by the participants was 10.5±2.45 out of 20, corresponding to a borderline pass rate of 52.5%. The students’ nutritional knowledge was categorized as excellent (2.3%), good (21.7%), adequate (48.1%), and poor (27.9%). There were no statistically significant differences in knowledge scores based on age, gender, or prior clinical experience (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The nutritional knowledge of nursing students at this institution is inadequate, reflecting a need for enhanced nutrition education within the nursing curriculum. These findings have significant implications for strengthening the nutritional competence of future nurses in China to better address the burden of diet-related diseases.
Keywords : Hemşirelik eğitimi, klinik beslenme, bilgi değerlendirmesi, müfredat geliştirme, hasta danışmanlığı, Çin

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