The Effect of Virtual Interactive Education versus In-person Workshop on Nurses’ Knowledge and Performance in Neonatal Skin Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Quasi-experimental Study

Background: Given the international recognition concerning the importance of digital literacy, and the increasing understanding of its importance in active learning, virtual education has recently attracted a great deal of attention. This method has provided an opportunity for teaching innovation in times of COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of virtual interactive education on improving nurses’ knowledge and performance in neonatal skin care.Methods: This quasi-experimental pre-post study was performed on 100 nurses working in the neonatal intensive care units. The participants were divided into three groups, namely the in-person workshop (n=34), virtual interactive education (n=33), and control (n=33). The instruments included Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) standardized questionnaire. The t test, exact fisher, and repeated measures ANCOVA were conducted to analyze the data using SPSS V. 16 software.Results: The results revealed a significant difference between the pre and post test scores of workshop and multimedia groups in terms of the mean score of knowledge compared to the control group (P