Web-Based End-of-Life and Post-Mortem Care Education for Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study is designed as a single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based end-of-life and post-mortem care education program developed for undergraduate nursing students. The educational intervention has been developed as part of a doctoral dissertation and is based on current scientific evidence, international recommendations, and the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) curriculum.

The intervention consists of eight structured online learning modules covering the fundamental concepts of end-of-life care, symptom management, recognition of the dying process, principles of a dignified death, post-mortem care practices, family support, spiritual care, and case-based learning. Each module is designed to be completed within approximately 10-15 minutes and includes narrated presentations, visual materials, flowcharts, decision trees, animations, and case-based learning activities. The educational videos will be delivered through a dedicated web-based learning platform that allows participants to access the content regardless of time and location. The platform will ensure sequential completion of the modules; participants will not be able to fast-forward videos or proceed to the next module without completing the current one.

Participants randomized to the intervention group will receive the web-based educational program through the online learning platform over a two-month period. Participants randomized to the control group will participate in three face-to-face case discussion sessions covering end-of-life and post-mortem care as specified in the study protocol. To minimize contamination between the study groups, participants in the control group will not have access to the web-based educational platform during the intervention period. After completion of data collection, the web-based educational materials will also be made available to participants in the control group.

Before implementation, the educational materials will undergo expert review to establish content validity. Subsequently, a pilot study will be conducted with nursing graduates to evaluate the usability of the web platform and the comprehensibility of the educational content. Feedback obtained during the pilot phase will be incorporated into the final version of the educational program before participant recruitment begins.

Participants will be allocated to the study groups using a computer-generated randomization procedure conducted by an independent researcher who is not involved in the implementation of the study. To ensure comparability between groups, randomization will be performed while considering participants' grade point averages. Because the educational intervention will be delivered by the principal investigator, investigator blinding will not be feasible. However, participants will not be informed of their group allocation, and the researchers responsible for outcome assessment, data coding, and statistical analyses will remain blinded to group assignment. The study will be conducted and reported in accordance with the CONSORT 2025 Statement: Updated Guideline for Reporting Randomized Trials.

The web-based education platform has been specifically designed for this study to provide flexible access to educational materials while enabling standardized delivery of the intervention. The platform includes secure individual user accounts, participant progress monitoring, reminder functions, and restricted access limited to enrolled participants. These features are intended to improve participant adherence and ensure consistent implementation of the educational intervention throughout the study.

Inclusion criteria

• Fourth-year undergraduate nursing students enrolled at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Necmettin Erbakan University, during the 2026-2027 Spring semester.
• Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Nursing, Medical Nursing, and Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing courses.
• Access to an internet-enabled device.
• Willingness to participate and provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Failure to complete at least one educational module.
• Failure to complete the baseline, post-intervention, or follow-up assessments.
• Withdrawal from the study at any time.