A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge Regarding Leukorrhea and Its Prevention Among B.Sc. Nursing Students

Background: Leukorrhea is a common gynecological condition characterized by excessive or abnormal vaginal discharge that may originate from the vagina, cervix, ovaries, or fallopian tubes, before menses or at mid-cycle, most commonly from the cervix. Lack of awareness and misconceptions about genital hygiene among young women, including nursing students, often contribute to complications. As future health educators, nursing students must possess adequate knowledge about leukorrhea to guide women in preventive and promotive health practices. Objectives: 1) To assess the pre-test level of knowledge regarding leukorrhea among nursing students by using a structured knowledge questionnaire. 2) To evaluate the effectiveness of planned teaching programme on leukorrhea among nursing students in terms of gain in mean post-test level of knowledge scores and 3) To compare the pre-test and post-test knowledge scores among nursing students. Method: A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design without a control group was adopted for the study. A structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the level of knowledge among nursing students before, and then the planned teaching programme was administered to the subjects. On the seventh day, the post-test was conducted by using a structured knowledge questionnaire. The sample consisted of 45 students selected by using a simple random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The paired ‘t’ value (tcal= 23.16*) at p < 0.05 level of significance for knowledge proved that the stated hypothesis i.e. the mean post-test knowledge scores of B.Sc. Nursing students in selected nursing institute who exposed to the planned teaching programme will be significantly higher than mean pre-test knowledge scores at 0.05 level of significance. Hence H1 was accepted and H2 was rejected. Interpretation and Conclusions: The findings of the study showed that the knowledge of the third-year B.Sc. Nursing students was below average before the administration of the planned teaching programme. The planned teaching programme facilitated them to gain more knowledge regarding leukorrhea, which is evident from the post-test knowledge score. Hence, it can be concluded that the planned teaching programme is effective for providing information and improving the knowledge of student nurses.