The effect of strengthening nurse practitioners' competency in occupational health services for agricultural workers exposed to pesticides in primary care units, Thailand: a before-and-after study

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Strengthening Nurse Practitioners' Competency in Occupational Health Service (SNPCOHS) program. It was hypothesized that nurse practitioners (NPs) participating in the program would demonstrate increased competency in providing occupational health services to agricultural workers exposed to pesticides in primary care units (PCUs) compared to their baseline competency and to a comparison group. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted between August and December 2023. The 4-week intervention included 5 hours of an e-learning program, 3 hours of online discussion, and 2 hours dedicated to completing an assignment. The program was evaluated at 3 time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention (week 4), and follow-up (week 8). Sixty NPs volunteered to participate, with 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the comparison group. Data on demographics, professional attributes, knowledge, skills, and perceived self-efficacy were collected using self-administered questionnaires via Google Forms. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher mean scores in professional attributes, knowledge, skills, and perceived self-efficacy in providing occupational health services to agricultural workers exposed to pesticides compared to the comparison group at both week 4 and week 8 post-intervention. CONCLUSION: The SNPCOHS program is well-suited for self-directed learning for nurses in PCUs, supporting effective occupational health service delivery. It should be disseminated and supported as an e-learning resource for NPs in PCUs (Thai Clinical Trials Registry: TCTR20250115004).