Research highlights respiratory education for nursing students

Glasgow Caledonian University health services researcher Dr Nicola Roberts has published a study exploring how respiratory care is taught to pre-registration nursing students across the UK.

The Senior Lecturer within the Department of Nursing and Community Health in the School of Health and Life Sciences found variations in respiratory education provision for nursing students.

Dr Roberts, who is also part of the Ageing Well research group and part of Research Centre for Health (ReaCH), worked on the study with colleagues from the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists research and education committee.

The research article ‘Informing future nursing: An exploration of respiratory teaching in the pre-registration nurse curriculum’ was published in the Nurse Education in Practice journal.

Dr Roberts said: “The study highlights the variation in the provision of respiratory education in pre-registration nursing programmes across the UK. Whilst some respiratory topics appear to be covered adequately, others have limited time on knowledge and skills teaching. These findings can help inform curriculum development.

“Wherever nurses end up in practice, they will often have to deal with respiratory symptoms. It is important that newly qualified nurses have the skills and confidence to deal with these situations if and when they occur.

“As we come out of a respiratory pandemic, it has highlighted even more the importance of nursing respiratory clinical skills and knowledge in pre-registration programmes.”