The effectiveness of an education program to teach Australian nurses comprehensive physical assessment skills

This study investigates the effectiveness of an educational program to teach 22 registered nurses comprehensive physical assessment skills. Administration of questionnaires and tests provided measures of the nurses: a) use of physical assessment skills; b) knowledge of physical assessment; c) changes in nursing practice since learning the skills; d) barriers to the use of these learned skills. The major post program findings regarding increases in the nurses' knowledge and use of physical assessment skills, positive changes in their nursing practice and lack of barriers to their use of these skills indicates that the participants did benefit from this educational experience.     

The effectiveness of a CNS-led community-based COPD screening and intervention program

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a screening program in identifying undiagnosed individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). THEORETICAL RATIONALE: Underdiagnosis of COPD is common. Symptoms do not usually become apparent until the disease is advanced. Consequently, by the time a diagnosis of COPD is made, based on symptoms, the individual has often lost up to 50% or more of their original lung capacity. Early diagnosis and intervention has been demonstrated to have an impact in slowing the progression of the disease. The study was based on the premise that when individuals become self-aware of their risk factors related to disease, they are more likely to change their behaviors. The Transtheoretical Model describes how individuals move through various stages of change and how they can be helped in transitioning from one stage to another. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: Subjects (n = 243) were recruited via letter, newspaper, and physician referral. The screening program consisted of (1) pulmonary function testing using a handheld spirometry device, (2) education about the test results and COPD, and (3) smoking cessation counseling. Current smokers and those found to have obstruction were contacted at 8 to 12 weeks after screening. OUTCOME: Results indicated that 209 (86%) of participants were at risk for developing COPD as evidenced by current or past smoking status. Mild to moderate stage obstructive disease was found in 55 subjects (23%). Of 61 subjects contacted after the screening, 29 smokers (47%) indicated they had stopped smoking, were in the process of quitting, or were seriously considering quitting. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the use of a community-screening program to identify and help modify risk factors for COPD. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICES: This project provides an example of how a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) can exercise all the spheres of CNS influence: the patient/client sphere, the nursing personnel sphere, and the organization sphere. In addition, the COPD screening project demonstrated how a CNS can successfully lead and direct a community initiative and influence others in changing behavior to enhance their state of health.     

Australian registered nurse medical device education: a comparison of life-sustaining and non-life-sustaining devices

Registered nurses are primarily responsible for the use of medical devices in direct patient care This cross-sectional survey compared how and what 139 registered nurses working in a variety of wards/units in a 1000-bed tertiary care hospital in South Australia initially learned about the life-sustaining and non-life-sustaining medical devices they use Furthermore, the consequences of device use both for patients and staff were explored How and what registered nurses initially learned about life-sustaining and non-life-sustaining devices were remarkably similar Consequences of device use, which included increased or decreased quality of care, increased nurse stress and patient harm, were related, in part, to knowledgeable and proficient device use Thus, device education for nurses is essential and warrants further exploration     

Rural case management for stroke: the development of a community-based screening and education program

This article describes the evolution of a Community-Based Stroke Risk Screening and Education Program at a 400-bed regional medical center located in southeastern Alabama. The author outlines the implementation of a case management-oriented program developed to target the specific high-risk populations residing in this rural area. Retrospective chart reviews were used to identify a large discrepancy between patient-recognized onset of stroke symptoms and the actual time it took for the patient to present to the Emergency Department (ED). A performance improvement goal was initiated to increase community awareness of stroke warning signs, stroke risk, and prevention. Summaries of the research process, design, and outcome data overwhelmingly indicated a positive correlation between stroke education and ED presentation time.     

A comparison of a traditional and an accelerated basic nursing education program

In this study, the grade point average of graduates of a traditional three-year and an accelerated two-year pre-service nursing education program was compared, using comparison points of the divergence and the finish of the two programs. Results showed that while the accelerated program students had a significantly higher grade point average at the point of divergence, by the end of the two programs there was no significant difference. The accelerated program resulted in academically equivalent graduates in a shorter time but graduates paid a price in terms of stress and under-achievements.     

Evaluation of effectiveness of a continuing education program on antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a course designed to increase use of the most recently published Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and reporting. DESIGN: A one-day continuing education course in AST was designed and delivered at multiple sites. Data collected from course evaluations, pre- and post-tests, and pre- and post-practices assessments were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. SETTING: The same course was held in 31 cities across the United States (US). PARTICIPANTS: Clinical laboratory scientists who attended the courses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participant satisfaction; AST knowledge; number of labs using most recent CLSI standards; compliance with 28 specific CLSI AST recommendations. RESULTS: Data indicate a high level of participant satisfaction, a gain in AST knowledge, an increase in the number of laboratories acquiring the most recently published CLSI guidelines, and improvement in 4 of 28 specific AST practices.     

Australian registered nurse medical device education: a comparison of simple vs. complex devices

As the primary users of medical devices in direct patient care, registered nurses must be competent both with simple and complex devices because any device improperly used can have serious consequences Results of a cross-sectional survey of registered nurses ( n = 238) working at a large South Australian tertiary care centre on units with high usage both of indwelling urethral (Foley) catheters and intravenous infusion pumps revealed that participants were significantly more likely to have learned to use the indwelling urethral (Foley) catheter in nursing school than they were to have learned how to use an intravenous infusion pump Participants differed significantly on most (13 of 17) items about what they learned, with nurses being more likely to learn various factors about the indwelling urethral catheter than the infusion pump Registered nurses were more likely to feel stressed when using an intravenous infusion pump than when using an indwelling urethral catheter, but were more likely to have used an indwelling urethral catheter that caused a patient harm than an intravenous infusion pump that caused a patient harm The most frequently identified reasons for incidents of patient harm resulting from use of an intravenous infusion pump were user error and inadequate device education The most frequently identified reasons for incidents of patient harm resulting from use of an indwelling urethral catheter were the patient's condition, particularly confusion, user error, equipment malfunction, and inadequate device education     

Implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of an oral health module for the bachelor of midwifery program at an Australian university

ObjectiveAlthough guidelines recommend antenatal care providers such as midwives promote oral health during pregnancy, oral health training is not routinely provided in undergraduate midwifery curricula. The aim of this study was to implement an oral health module into an Australian undergraduate midwifery program, and evaluate its effectiveness in improving the oral health knowledge and confidence of midwifery students.DesignPre-test post-test study (2015–2017).SettingAn undergraduate midwifery program within an Australian university.ParticipantsAll first-year undergraduate midwifery students enrolled in two core units at the above university (N = 56).MethodsOral health modules were implemented into each of the two core units within the first year of the Bachelor of Midwifery course. Changes in knowledge and confidence were measured using a standardised questionnaire, administered at baseline, immediately following module completion, and at 2 and 3 years following module completion.Results44 students participated in the baseline survey (79% response rate), of which 41 completed the first post-module questionnaire, 21 completed the second post-questionnaire, and 24 completed the third post-questionnaire. Knowledge scores significantly increased from baseline (mean 13.12) to follow-up (mean 17.78, p < 0.001), with increases being retained through to the 3-year mark (mean 18.29, p < 0.001). Confidence scores also showed a sustained increase following the module, particularly regarding introducing oral health in the first antenatal appointment (62.1% increase, p < 0.001) and referring pregnant women to a dentist (48.2% increase, p < 0.001). However, the 48.2% increase (p < 0.001) in confidence in conducting a visual mouth check on a pregnant woman following the module was not sustained at subsequent time points, reducing to a 31.5% increase (p = 0.118) by the third year post-module.ConclusionsThe module is effective in improving and sustaining the knowledge and confidence of midwifery students to promote maternal oral health. Ongoing updates may be required to keep confidence high regarding visual mouth checks.     

Research Article: Effects of a cognitive adjustment program for Thai parents

Child physical abuse is recognized as a major public health problem that affects children and is likely to become increasingly common. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a cognitive adjustment program on parental attitudes toward child rearing and the potential for this abuse. Child‐care centers were randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group. The sample included 116 Thai parents of children aged 1–6 years. The intervention group attended the cognitive adjustment program while the control group received the usual services. The results showed that, after program completion, the intervention group had statistically significantly better parental attitudes toward child rearing, but not a significantly lower potential for CPA than the control group. We concluded that the cognitive adjustment program was effective in altering parental attitudes toward child rearing. However, in order to enhance its efficacy, the program should be modified to be more intensive and it should be studied further for its effect on the potential for abuse.     

Nurses and adult educational philosophy: a comparison of nurses and non-nurses in a graduate adult education program.

A sample of 90 students enrolled in a graduate program in adult education completed three instruments examining adult education philosophies during a related course. There were no significant differences between the nurse educators and the non-nurses on any of the three instruments or on any of their components. This finding contradicts previous research suggesting that nurse educators do not generally incorporate adult learning methods into their courses. Intercorrelations were computed among all the variables. One unanticipated finding was the significant relationship between age and congruence with adult learning principles.     

Evaluating program effectiveness: creating a reliable and valid tool

This study was done to assess the reliability of a pretest/ posttest design for a mass-casualty burn disaster continuing education (CE) program. Based on program objectives, an instrument to assess knowledge, skills, confidence, and competence in burn assessment and management was designed. The instrument's internal consistency, split-half reliability, and individual items were analyzed. Measures of reliability were moderately high, and item analysis identified no poorly constructed items. The instrument appears to be a reliable measurement of effectiveness for the CE program and will be consistent in measuring changes based on the training. The results may be useful to others who are planning CE training programs.     

Breast screening and ethnic minority women: a literature review

The incidence of breast cancer is reported to be low among ethnic minority women. However, the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in this group is expected to rise over the next decade, as a result of changes in lifestyle and environmental factors. Despite the introduction of the NHS Breast Screening Programme in 1988, the uptake of breast cancer screening services remains low among minority women. The main reasons identified for this low uptake are a lack of knowledge among women from the ethnic communities about screening services and a lack of referral/recommendations by healthcare professionals and physicians. Future initiatives need to target appropriate education strategies for healthcare professionals on the needs of ethnic groups, as for many women this will be their first point of contact within the screening programme.     

Dimensions of distance: a comparison of classroom education and distance education

Distance is obviously a core issue in distance education. But distance is a factor in classroom-based education as well. Classroom-based teachers and distance educators have a common interest in the dynamics of distance.The focus of much discussion in distance education is on geographical distance and how it may be bridged. However, this focus obscures the more fundamental issue of educational distance. Educational distance includes cognitive distance, role distance and access distance. This form of distance is as potent in the classroom environment as it is in a virtual learning environment.The writer explores this theme by his analysis of the communication patterns between teacher and students in one module in a BSc Health Studies degree programme. The writer has taught this module in both distance education format and in traditional classroom-based format. His finding is that the communication time between the teacher and students in the distance education form of the module is 29% greater than the communication time in the classroom-based form. The most significant feature of the communication pattern is the greater quantity of individual communication between student and teacher in the distance education format.Both the quantity and type of the communication in each of these modes suggest that the more communication-rich distance education format has greater potential for overcoming the problems of educational distance within this module.     

Long-term effectiveness of a patient and family pain education program on overcoming barriers to management of cancer pain

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of a patient and family pain education program on reducing cancer patients' and their families' barriers to (i.e., concerns or misconceptions about) cancer pain management, on increasing patients' adherence to a prescribed analgesic regimen, and on decreasing pain intensity and pain interference with daily life. An experimental and longitudinal design was used. The experimental group consisted of 31 pairs of cancer outpatients and their family carers, while the control group consisted of 30 patient-family pairs (N=122). Patients and their family carers in the experimental group simultaneously received a pain management education program. Both groups had pretest data collection and after-test follow-ups on the second and fourth weeks at the outpatient clinics. Comparisons between those two groups were made using the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) method. Results revealed that at both the second and fourth weeks, patients and family carers in the experimental group showed a significantly greater reduction in barrier scores than did patients and family carers in the control group. At the second and fourth weeks, patients in the experimental group reported significantly better adherence to a scheduled analgesic regimen than did patients in the control group. In the fourth week, patients in the experimental group reported significantly lower levels of worst pain intensity and pain interference than did patients in the control group. This research provides evidence of the effectiveness of a patient and family pain education program.