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Community health nurses' learning needs in relation to the Canadian community health nursing standards of practice: results from a Canadian survey.

ABSTRACT: CANADIAN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSES (CHNS) WORK IN DIVERSE URBAN, RURAL, AND REMOTE SETTINGS SUCH AS: public health units/departments, home health, community health facilities, family practices, and other community-based settings. Research into specific learning needs of practicing CHNs is sparsely reported. This paper examines Canadian CHNs learning needs in relation to the 2008 Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice (CCHN Standards). It answers: What are the learning needs of CHNs in Canada in relation to the CCHN Standards? What are differences in CHNs' learning needs by: province and territory in Canada, work setting (home health, public health and other community health settings) and years of nursing practice?Between late 2008 and early 2009 a national survey was conducted to identify learning needs of CHNs based on the CCHN Standards using a validated tool.Results indicated that CHNs had learning needs on 25 of 88 items (28.4%), suggesting CHNs have confidence in most CCHN Standards. Three items had the highest learning needs with mean scores > 0.60: two related to epidemiology (means 0.62 and 0.75); and one to informatics (application of information and communication technology) (mean = 0.73). Public health nurses had a greater need to know about "…evaluating population health promotion programs systematically" compared to home health nurses (mean 0.66 vs. 0.39, p <0.010). Nurses with under two years experience had a greater need to learn "… advocating for healthy public policy…" than their more experienced peers (p = 0.0029). Also, NPs had a greater need to learn about "…using community development principles when engaging the individual/community in a consultative process" compared to RNs (p = 0.05). Many nurses were unsure if they applied foundational theoretical frameworks (i.e., the Ottawa Charter of Health Promotion, the Jakarta Declaration, and the Population Health Promotion Model) in practice.CHN educators and practice leaders need to consider these results in determining where to strengthen content in graduate and undergraduate nursing programs, as well as professional development programs. For practicing CHNs educational content should be tailored based on learner's years of experience in the community and their employment sector.

SUBMITTER: Valaitis RK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4209163 | biostudies-other | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Community health nurses' learning needs in relation to the Canadian community health nursing standards of practice: results from a Canadian survey.

Valaitis Ruta K RK Schofield Ruth R Akhtar-Danesh Noori N Baumann Andrea A Martin-Misener Ruth R Underwood Jane J Isaacs Sandra S

BMC nursing 20141021

<h4>Background</h4>CANADIAN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSES (CHNS) WORK IN DIVERSE URBAN, RURAL, AND REMOTE SETTINGS SUCH AS: public health units/departments, home health, community health facilities, family practices, and other community-based settings. Research into specific learning needs of practicing CHNs is sparsely reported. This paper examines Canadian CHNs learning needs in relation to the 2008 Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice (CCHN Standards). It answers: What are the le ...[more]

PMID: 25349531

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Project description:BackgroundCommunity Health Navigators (CHNs) are members of a patient's care team that aim to reduce barriers in accessing healthcare. CHNs have been described in various healthcare settings, including chronic disease management. The ENhancing COMmunity health through Patient navigation, Advocacy, and Social Support (ENCOMPASS) program of research employs CHNs, who are trained to improve access to care and community resources for patients with multiple chronic diseases. With complex and demanding roles, it is essential that CHNs communicate with each other to maintain knowledge exchange and best practices. A Community of Practice (CoP) is a model of situated learning that promotes communication, dedication, and collaboration that can facilitate this communication. The objective of this study was to engage with CHNs to determine how a CoP could be implemented to promote consistency in practices and knowledge for CHNs across primary care sites.MethodsA needs assessment for a CHN CoP was conducted using sequential steps of inquiry. A preliminary focused literature review (FLR) was done to examine the ways in which other healthcare CoPs have been implemented. Results from the FLR guided the creation of an exploratory survey and group interview with key informants to understand best approaches for CoP creation. Political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analyses synthesized results in a comprehensive manner for strategic recommendations.ResultsThe FLR identified different approaches and components of healthcare CoPs and guided analyses of mitigatable risk factors and leverageable assets for the intervention. The survey and group interview revealed an informal and effective CoP amongst current CHNs, with preferred methods including coffee meetings, group trainings, and seminars. A well-maintained web platform with features such as an encrypted discussion forum, community resource listing, calendar of events, and semi-annual CHN conferences were suggested methods for creating an inter-regional, formal CoP.ConclusionThe study findings recognise the presence of an informal CoP within the studied CHN cohort. Implementation of a formal CoP should complement current CoP approaches and aid in facilitating expansion to other primary care centres utilizing digital communication methods, such as a comprehensive web platform and online forum.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Including content on Indigenous health in medical school curricula has become a widely-acknowledged prerequisite to reducing the health disparities experienced by Indigenous peoples in Canada. However, little is known about what levels of awareness and interest medical students have about Indigenous peoples when they enter medical school. Additionally, it is unclear whether current Indigenous health curricula ultimately improve students' beliefs and behaviours. METHODS:A total of 129 students completed a 43-item questionnaire that was sent to three cohorts of first-year medical students (in 2013, 2014, 2015) at one undergraduate medical school in Canada. This survey included items to evaluate students' sociopolitical attitudes towards Indigenous people, knowledge of colonization and its links to Indigenous health inequities, knowledge of Indigenous health inequities, and self-rated educational preparedness to work with Indigenous patients. The survey also assessed students' perceived importance of learning about Indigenous peoples in medical school, and their interest in working in an Indigenous community, which were examined as outcomes. Using principal component analysis, survey items were grouped into five independent factors and outcomes were modelled using staged multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS:Generally, students reported strong interest in Indigenous health but did not believe themselves adequately educated or prepared to work in an Indigenous community. When controlling for age and gender, the strongest predictors of perceived importance of learning about Indigenous health were positive sociopolitical attitudes about Indigenous peoples and knowledge about colonization and its links to Indigenous health inequities. Significant predictors for interest in working in an Indigenous community were positive sociopolitical attitudes about Indigenous peoples. Knowledge about Indigenous health inequities was negatively associated with interest in working in an Indigenous community. CONCLUSIONS:Students' positive sociopolitical attitudes about Indigenous peoples is the strongest predictor of both perceived importance of learning about Indigenous health and interest in working in Indigenous communities. In addition to teaching students about the links between colonization, health inequities and other knowledge-based concepts, medical educators must consider the importance of attitude change in designing Indigenous health curricula and include opportunities for experiential learning to shape students' future behaviours and ultimately improve physician relationships with Indigenous patients.

Project description:ObjectiveTo improve the quality of community nursing teaching practice and cultivate undergraduate nursing students who meet the quality accreditation standards of our nursing profession, and to explore the establishment of an undergraduate nurse practice model.MethodsUsing the methods of literature review, survey, expert consultation, and discussion, we established the steps and contents of community practice teaching for undergraduate nursing students, and implemented them for the students of Grades 2014, 2015, and 2016, and evaluated the "community-hospital-community" practice model through various forms, such as student self-evaluation, faculty evaluation, exit examination, and evaluation by certified experts.ResultA three-stage community nursing practice model of "community-hospital-community" was established for undergraduate nursing students. After three stages of practice, nursing undergraduates successfully passed the practical assessments and achieved excellent grades in each stage that met the requirements of the training program. In the first stage (community probation), community probation emphasizes a fundamental understanding of the community, using free clinics, health education, and home visits as entry points to effectively cultivate students' job competence and proficiency in nursing operations and nurse-patient communication skills. In the second stage (internship in the hospital), through nursing internships in various systems, students are trained to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills and consolidate their understanding of fundamental knowledge, theory, and techniques. They are capable of preventing, diagnosing, intervening, and providing health education for common, frequent, urgent and critical complications in various clinical systems. They can formulate nursing plans and implement whole-person care. In the third stage (returning to the community for internship), students can master basic skills such as nursing operations and patient communication skills, and then they can enter the community internship.ConclusionThe community nursing practice model of "community- hospital- community" for undergraduate nursing students can systematically train undergraduate nursing students' ability to work in the community.

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Community health nurses' learning needs in relation to the Canadian community health nursing standards of practice: results from a Canadian survey.

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Community health nurses' learning needs in relation to the Canadian community health nursing standards of practice: results from a Canadian survey.

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