Community Engagement through Acupressure Training to Improve Acupressure Knowledge and Promote Entrepreneurship Awareness among Nursing Graduates

Abstract

Non-communicable disease prevention requires health education and safe, competency-based approaches. In response to an identified educational need for introductory acupressure training in collaboration with Home Care Keluarga Sehat, this community service activity aimed to assess changes in nursing graduates’ acupressure knowledge, describe their post-training practical performance, and introduce potential future entrepreneurship pathways. Ten nursing graduates from Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang participated in a three-day training program involving instruction, demonstrations, supervised practice, pretest–posttest knowledge assessment, post-training skills evaluation, and mentoring. Two certified acupressure nurses from Home Care Keluarga Sehat facilitated the technical training. Knowledge was assessed using 25 multiple-choice questions before and after training, while practical performance was evaluated using a 25-item observational checklist after training. Mean knowledge scores increased from 61.6 ± 11.50 to 96.0 ± 4.22, a mean increase of 34.4 points (p < 0.001). The mean post-training practical skills score was 94.2 ± 7.39, with 70% of participants scoring at least 90. These results describe immediate knowledge-test change and performance at the final skills assessment; skills improvement cannot be inferred because baseline skills were not assessed. Entrepreneurship was introduced as a potential future pathway, but entrepreneurial competence and business outcomes were not measured.