Date of Award

5-2021

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Nursing BSN

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Elizabeth Tinnon, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

Nursing

Abstract

This descriptive post-test design study was conducted to assess knowledge level of undergraduate nursing students regarding risk factors, clinical manifestations, age of diagnosis, common psychiatric co-morbidities, treatment methods, and pathophysiology of endometriosis. An author-created 8 question multichoice and select all that apply questionnaire was used to collect the data. Twenty-eight students responded to the questionnaire. The results were divided to compare knowledge differences between second-semester and fifth-semester students.

It was determined that the undergraduate nursing students have a working knowledge of endometriosis, but there are knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. Fifth-semester participants scored higher than the second-semester participants overall on the questionnaire, likely due to receiving education about endometriosis during the acute conditions course, taught during the fourth-semester of the undergraduate nursing program. All fifth-semester participants and all but two second-semester participants were correctly able to identify the pathophysiology of endometriosis. Another positive finding was the knowledge of pharmacologic therapies and mental health co-morbidities. A majority of both second- and fifth-semester participants were able to identify the correct treatments, but 32.09% more fifth-semester students identified contraceptive/hormonal agents as pharmacologic therapies. All fifth-semester students and all but one second-semester students correctly identified depression as the frequent co-morbidity of endometriosis. Content areas that need to be addressed are risk factors and clinical manifestations of endometriosis. No participants in either group were able to correctly identify all of the risk factors of endometriosis, and only 16.67% of fifth-semester students and 11.76% of second-semester students correctly identified all of the clinical manifestations. More education in undergraduate nursing programs on these topics is necessary.

Included in

Nursing Commons

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