Abstract

Evidence-based practice education for healthcare professions Competencies of Nurses.

Author(s): Robert Jones

Technological innovation has not only impacted social change in recent years but has been the prime driver of educational transformation. The newest consumers of post-secondary education, the so-called 'digital natives', have come to expect education to be delivered in a way that offers increased usability and convenience. Health care professionals (HCPs) in the clinical setting, particularly those in rural and remote communities, are no different. Today's health workforce has a professional responsibility to maintain competency in practice through achieving a minimum number of hours of continuing professional development. Consequently, HCPs seeking professional development opportunities are reliant on sourcing these independently according to individual learning needs. Comparison between e-learning and traditional teaching methods are illogical and methodologically flawed because comparison groups are heterogeneous, lack uniformity and have multiple confounders that cannot be adjusted for. As early as 1994, researchers in computer-assisted learning were citing these limitations and called for a fresh research agenda in this area. In order to develop the empirical evidence base in e-learning, research needs to be guided by established theoretical frameworks and use validated instruments to move from assessing knowledge generation towards improving our understanding of whether e-learning improves HCP behavior and more importantly, patient outcomes. In the context of this review, behavior change is any practice that is intrinsically linked with the outcomes of the e-learning program undertaken. Finally, level four evaluates the impact on outcomes such as cost benefit or quality improvements. he participants were recruited according to basic factors such as the number of years of professional experience, their level of education, and their preferred professional status. Thus, seventeen professionals participated in the study, representing two public hospitals in the city. Four core issues were derived when asked about the relationship between the resources invested and the organizational and professional development of the nursing staff: professional development, positive learning, negative learning, and recognition. In the more experienced group, seven issues were derived from the first issue raised: continuous learning, quality, confidence, holism, safe care, autonomy, and technical issues. Additionally, six issues arose from the second question: satisfaction, autonomy, creativity, productivity, professional development, and recognition. In conclusion, the perceptions of the two selected groups are negative when it comes to assessing the extent to which the competencies acquired in lifelong learning are transferred to the patient and the system evaluates and recognizes these competencies for improvement.