A Study To Assess The Effectiveness Of Structured Teaching Programme On Assertive Training Among Staff Nurses Working At Selected Hospitals Of Hubli, India

Abstract

Background: Assertiveness is a cornerstone professional competency enabling nurses to advocate for patients, communicate effectively within multidisciplinary teams, and uphold professional boundaries while delivering safe, ethical nursing care. Despite its recognised importance, research consistently documents marked deficits in assertive behaviour among staff nurses in Indian hospital settings particularly in semi-urban institutions in Karnataka. Unassertive nurses are more vulnerable to workplace stress, burnout, communication breakdown, and medication errors, with direct implications for patient safety outcomes. A structured teaching programme (STP) targeting assertiveness knowledge, attitudes, and skills represents the most accessible and scalable intervention to address this professional gap. Objectives: To assess pre-intervention assertiveness knowledge levels among staff nurses; to evaluate the effectiveness of an STP on assertiveness; to determine associations between post-test scores and selected socio demographic variables; to identify the correlation between work experience and post-test scores; and to compare assertiveness knowledge scores across hospital types using ANOVA. Methods: A pre-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design was adopted. Eighty staff nurses from selected government, private, and trust hospitals of Hubli were enrolled using purposive sampling. A validated structured assertiveness knowledge questionnaire (60 items, 6 domains) and an attitude Likert scale (50 items) were administered before and 30 days after a 90-minute STP. Results: Mean pre-test knowledge score was 18.2 ± 4.3 out of 60, improving to 48.6 ± 4.9 post-STP (t = 32.6, df = 79, p < 0.001). Pearson correlation between work experience and post-test score was r = 0.62 (p < 0.001). Chi square analysis identified significant associations with educational qualification, hospital type, prior assertiveness training, ward type, patient load, and income. One-way ANOVA showed significant score differences across hospital types (F = 6.14, p = 0.003). Conclusion: The structured teaching programme was highly effective in improving assertiveness knowledge among staff nurses. These findings support the need for mandatory assertiveness training as an integral component of in-service nursing education in Hubli hospitals.