A comparative study of problem-solving skills training using Goldfried social problem-solving model and problem-solving method on the clinical performance of nurses in intensive care units

Nurses are vital healthcare team members, playing a crucial role in planning and implementing healthcare services within the healthcare system. Providing quality services by nurses, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), depends on strengthening clinical performance and timely and effective patient decision-making. The aim is to determine the effect of problem-solving skill training, utilizing Goldfried’s social problem-solving model and the problem-solving method (PSM) model, on the clinical performance of ICU nurses.

The present study employed a semi-experimental design. The statistical population of this study included nurses from Hajar and Ayatollah Kashani, as well as the ICU of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (SKUMS) in 2022. Fifty nurses were selected by convenience sampling and randomly divided into two groups. An educational intervention program designed to develop problem-solving skills, based on the Goldfried model, was implemented in six two-hour sessions. A written educational program for problem-solving skills was developed, also utilizing the problem-solving model. The PSM model was implemented in six two-hour sessions. Before, immediately after, and two months after the intervention, the Nurse’s Clinical Performance Questionnaire (NCPQ) was used to assess the clinical performance of ICU nurses.

The study’s results showed that the clinical performance of nurses in both groups (Goldfried’s model group and PSM group) improved two months after the intervention (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in clinical performance between the two groups (P>0.05).

Medical center managers and officials can utilize problem-solving skills training based on the social problem-solving model to enhance the performance of nurses and other hospital employees, thereby improving overall performance.