Meeting the educational needs of nurses working in general practice
Purpose: To pilot a draft presentation developed by NPS evaluating mode of delivery, contents and relevance to educational needs of practice nurses.
Method: NPS is now encouraging divisions of general practice (divisions) to include practice nurses in NPS Program delivery. Reducing risk in type 2 diabetes has been selected as the first program for delivery to practice nurses. NPS has developed a PowerPoint presentation (long and short versions), which is being piloted by six divisions currently delivering the program to GPs. The STDGP is one of the pilot divisions. The Division’s NPS facilitator held a 1-hour session with local practice nurses using the longer version. Invitations were sent out by email 7 days before the event. Evaluation of the session was undertaken using two questionnaires. The NPS questionnaire evaluated presentation content; the STDGP questionnaire canvassed interest in clinical studies, information needed, awareness of references and workplace resources. The educational needs of participants were discussed before and after the meeting.
Results: Six practice nurses participated. Discussion prior to the presentation identified a diversity of practice nurse needs. Five questionnaires were returned. Overall there was positive feedback; all participants strongly agreed that the presentation was relevant to their day-to-day practice, 80% agreed or strongly agreed that the content was presented at the right level, 60% indicated that their educational needs were met, and 50% agreed that they gained useful practice information. All participants indicated interest in relevant studies; only 30% were familiar with referenced resources. Only one participant identified their practice’s resources. All participants wanted more time for discussion.
Conclusion: NPS can play a significant role in supporting the educational needs of nurses in general practice. The level of engagement of practice nurses in the management of diabetes in general practice, based on this workshop’s participants, appears to be varied. To maximise event participation, more notice of the event is needed.