Effectiveness of a home-based simulation kit on nursing students' intramuscular injection performance and self-efficacy: A quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Background: Psychomotor skill training is a fundamental element of nursing education. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of alternative approaches to maintain training continuity when access to skills laboratories was limited. Aim: This study examined the effectiveness of a structured home-based simulation kit in enhancing nursing students' intramuscular injection skills and self-efficacy in a distance education setting. Methods: A quasi-experimental post-test control group design was employed with 85 undergraduate nursing students. The intervention group (n = 42) received distance education supported by a home-based intramuscular injection kit in 2020-2021, whereas the control group (n = 43) underwent traditional face-to-face laboratory training in 2019-2020. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, an intramuscular injection skill checklist and the Self-Efficacy Scale. Analyses were performed using independent samples t-tests and paired t-tests. Results: The intervention group achieved significantly higher skill performance scores (69.58 SD 16.61) than the control group (47.44 SD 16.13), t(83) = 6.23, p < 0.001. No significant between-group differences were observed in self-efficacy at either pre- or post-test. Within-group analysis revealed a significant increase in self-efficacy only among the control group (p = 0.003). Conclusions: A structured home-based simulation kit can effectively improve nursing students' psychomotor performance in intramuscular injection, yielding outcomes comparable to traditional laboratory training. However, additional pedagogical approaches may be necessary to strengthen self-efficacy. These findings suggest that home-based kits should be incorporated into nursing curricula as supplementary tools to support distance education when laboratory access is limited and to complement face-to-face training.