Evaluating gender awareness, gender-related health knowledge and patient pain legitimation among nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

Ainitze Labaka; Asier Zamakola; Marta Arrue; Haritz Arrieta

doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103790

Evaluating gender awareness, gender-related health knowledge and patient pain legitimation among nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

Nurse Educ Pract. 2023 Oct:72:103790. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103790. Epub 2023 Sep 26.

Authors

Ainitze Labaka¹, Asier Zamakola¹, Marta Arrue¹, Haritz Arrieta²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing II, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Begiristain Doktorea Pasealekua 105, E-20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain.
² Department of Nursing II, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Begiristain Doktorea Pasealekua 105, E-20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain; Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Breast Cancer Group, Begiristain Doktorea Pasealekua s/n, E-20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Electronic address: haritz.arrieta@ehu.eus.

PMID: 37769494
DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103790

Abstract

The aim of the study was to measure the associations between and the evolution of gender awareness, gender-related health knowledge and patient pain legitimation among nursing students.

Background: Evidence indicates that gender equity skills are still lacking among nurses. Indeed, several studies report gender-biased patient assessment and care, arguing that greater attention should be paid to the gender perspective at university, in order to train nurses who are sensitive to this issue. Recently, certain gender perspective measurement scales have been adapted to the nursing population, offering new opportunities for the educational field.

Design: A quasi-experimental study was used for this study.

Methods: This study was conducted in the second semester of the first year of the Nursing Degree run by the University of the Basque Country. A sample of 103 students enrolled in the Anthropology, Ethics and Legislation module completed the Nijmegen Gender Awareness in Medicine Scale, the Pain Legitimation Scale and the Gender Perspective Health Knowledge Scale before and after the second semester, during which part of the syllabus focused on developing gender equity skills. Data were collected between January - April 2022.

Results: We found positive correlations between gender-related health knowledge and pain legitimation at post-test, and between said knowledge and gender sensitivity at both pre- and post-test (p < 0.05). The repeated measures indicated that traditional expositive teaching did not increase overall scores for gender awareness, gender-related health knowledge or pain legitimation.

Conclusions: The results suggest that gender-related health knowledge may be a key modifiable factor that leads to enhanced gender awareness in dealings with patients. However, traditional expositive lectures were not enough to produce a robust increase in gender awareness, pain legitimation or gender-related health knowledge levels. The effectiveness of active teaching methodologies should be tested, in order to help nursing students strengthen their resistance to clinical gender stereotypes and become active assets in the move from inequality to equity.

Keywords: Conceptual knowledge; Gender awareness; Nurse education; Pain legitimation.