NERS NEWS — Nursing Profession Education Program students of Batch 49, Odd Semester 2026/2027, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, Group 6 of the Medical-Surgical Nursing (KMB) rotation, conducted a Hospital Health Education (PKRS) activity addressing infection prevention through the implementation of proper cough etiquette and the correct use and disposal of masks.
The PKRS activity was conducted on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at IRNA 4A Grha Trimed, Universitas Airlangga Special Infectious Disease Hospital. The activity targeted families of patients undergoing treatment. Families play an important role in helping prevent infection transmission, both while patients are receiving treatment in the hospital and after patients return home.
The activity was part of the students’ learning process during their Nursing Profession Practice. The activity was conducted under the guidance of Herdina Mariyanti, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kep., Ph.D., as the academic supervisor, and directly accompanied by Ners Devi Rahma S., S.Kep., Ns., M.Kep., as the clinical supervisor.
In this activity, the students provided education to patients’ families about the importance of preventing infection transmission in daily life. The material presented included proper cough etiquette, mask use, as well as the correct way to remove and dispose of masks.
The enthusiasm of the patients’ families was evident throughout the activity. Although approximately 10 participants attended, all participants followed the entire series of activities until completion. Through the education provided, the students hoped that the knowledge gained could be applied by families while accompanying patients in the hospital and after patients return home.
To determine the effectiveness of the education provided, the students also conducted an evaluation through a pre-test and post-test. This evaluation was carried out under the direction of Herdina Mariyanti as the academic supervisor. Knowledge was measured before and after the health education on cough etiquette, mask use, as well as the correct removal and disposal of masks.
The evaluation used five multiple-choice questions given to 10 PKRS participants. The evaluation results showed an increase in knowledge after the education was provided. The average percentage of correct answers increased from 68% in the pre-test to 94% in the post-test, representing an increase of 26 percentage points.
This increase indicates that the health education provided was able to improve participants’ knowledge regarding cough etiquette, mask use, as well as the correct removal and disposal of masks. This education is expected to encourage patients’ families to play an active role in implementing infection prevention behaviors, both while in the hospital environment and after returning to their place of residence.
Writer: Norman Nafi Ramadhani
