A Quasi-Experimental Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme on Knowledge Regarding Legal and Ethical Aspects Related to Obstetrical Nursing Among Staff Nurses Working in Selected Hospitals of Punjab

Abstract

Obstetrical nurses play a pivotal role in ensuring safe maternal and neonatal care while simultaneously adhering to legal regulations and ethical principles that govern professional nursing practice. Inadequate knowledge regarding healthcare laws, informed consent, patient rights, confidentiality, documentation, and professional accountability may increase the risk of medical errors, litigation, and compromised patient outcomes. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a Structured Teaching Programme (STP) on knowledge regarding legal and ethical aspects related to obstetrical nursing among staff nurses working in selected hospitals of Punjab. A quantitative research approach with a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was adopted. A total of 100 registered staff nurses were selected through purposive sampling and divided equally into an experimental group (n=50) and a control group (n=50). Baseline knowledge was assessed using a validated 30-item structured questionnaire. The experimental group received a 60-minute Structured Teaching Programme covering the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, informed consent, patient confidentiality, professional negligence, consumer protection laws, and ethical principles in obstetrical nursing, whereas the control group continued routine clinical practice without any educational intervention. Post-test assessment was conducted seven days after the intervention using the same questionnaire. The findings revealed that both groups had inadequate baseline knowledge, with mean pre-test scores of 12.44 ± 3.12 in the experimental group and 12.82 ± 2.98 in the control group, showing no statistically significant difference (t = 0.62, p > 0.05). Following the intervention, the experimental group's mean knowledge score increased significantly to 25.16 ± 2.45, while the control group's score showed only a marginal increase to 13.14 ± 3.02. The paired t-test demonstrated a highly significant improvement in the experimental group (t = 33.47, p < 0.001), whereas no significant improvement was observed in the control group (t = 1.33, p = 0.189). The post-test comparison between groups also revealed a highly significant difference (t = 21.85, p < 0.001). Furthermore, professional qualification and previous exposure to legal or ethical training were significantly associated with baseline knowledge (p < 0.05), while age and clinical experience showed no significant association. The study concludes that the Structured Teaching Programme is an effective educational strategy for enhancing staff nurses' knowledge regarding legal and ethical aspects of obstetrical nursing. Incorporating regular medico-legal and ethical training into continuing nursing education programmes and institutional orientation initiatives can strengthen professional competence, improve patient safety, promote ethical decision-making, and reduce medico-legal risks in obstetrical care.