INTRODUCTION:

Continuing education is any extension of opportunities for reading, study and training to young persons and adults following their completion of or withdrawal from full-time school and college programs.

A systematic professional learning experience designed to augment the knowledge, skill, attitude of the nurse and therefore enrich the nurse contribution to the quality health care and pursuit of professional career goals.

Research in continuing education:

· It enhances professional Nursing practice by extending scientific knowledge of practitioners.

· It identifies Unique difference that nursing makes in the health status of individuals.

Aims of research in continuing nursing education:

· To assess the need for organizing continuing nursing education program.

· To objectively assess the need of the learner

· To identify the areas of learning required

· To assess the impact of conducting such continuing nursing education program.

· To evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

· To Correlate the effectiveness of continuing nursing education program with the output expected.

Areas of research: Research can be conducted in the following areas. They are:

· Need assessment of the learner

· Content for CNE

· Teaching methods and materials

· Evaluation

· Variables influencing the effectiveness of CNE

· Immediate and long-term benefits or outcomes of attending such CNE

· Cost-effectiveness in organizing and conducting CNE

Elements of research in CNE:

1. Teacher/Educator:

· Guides the learner

· Motivates the learner

· Arranges and organizes the educational programme

· Evaluates the programme

2. Learner/student:

· Identify the knowledge gap and fulfil the knowledge gap

· Develops the practicing ability

· Updates the knowledge

Function of Research in Continuing Education:

· It helps to meet the health need and public expectation

· It helps to develop the practicing ability

· It helps to identify the knowledge gap and fulfil the knowledge gap

· It helps to maintain the Nursing standards

· It allows learner to uncover existing problem and find the solution

· It provides opportunity for educational advancement

Barriers of research in CNE:

· The main barrier of research in CNE is the problems of implementing valid research results in nursing practice.

· CNE has been promoted as one way to bridge the gap between the research and practice so that patients may benefits. Davis et.al described Continuing Medical education phase in career of a physician and this can be applied to other health professionals especially nursing.

· Measures that can be taken to solve this barrier can be,

Need for research into needs assessment in nursing education:

· To ensure safe and effective nursing care, nurse need to keep abreast with interest, knowledge and technical advances

· To meet the needs of population and should cater to the needs of service

· Development of nurses will occur by updating their knowledge and prepare there for specialisation

· For career advancement

· Professional roles are altered as society changes and as new knowledge and technologies emerge

· If the nursing professional is to respond effectively to the challenge of developing. Wise leadership and component practitioners, current social changes must be recognised and future ones foreseen.

· To acquire specialized skills of personnel and meet technologic adjuncts

· The professional forces like changing function of the nurse are increasing trend towards specialization, shortage of specialized nurses, variation in the nature and recency of formal education preparation and the mobility of the nurse population

· Clinical specialists are needed for direct patient and for teaching and consultation roles to help the students and staff nurses to reach higher level of competency

· Nurses in administrative positions need to increase their understanding of the administrative process and to design effective methods of maximizing the contribution of individuals help to provide nursing services to the patients

· Nursing functions require a high degree of skill, knowledge, competence and educational preparation.

· The demand for specialized nursing services is increasing more rapidly.

· Planned programmes are needed to increase their competence as practitioner

· Needs for additional preparation for the positions are already holding or to prepare themselves for their position

The below mentioned questions will answer the need for research into needs assessment:

· What are the effects of and responses to needs assessment alone for students, trainee, and senior nurses at different stages of Nursing Education?

· What is the relative validity, reliability, or utility of different Formal and Informal methods of learning needs assessment in Nursing Education at any level?

· What methods of planning effective learning experiences are most effective on the basis of needs identified?

· What human characteristics or behaviours influencing in the effectiveness of CNE?

· What are the environmental variables influences in the effectiveness of CNE?

· What is the perception of Nurses towards the need for participating in CNE?

Purposes of research in contuining education:

· Recognize gaps in their knowledge

· To test ability to do final academic study.

· To improve the communication between the participants, faculty, community and health sectors.

· To test the participants ability to do formal academic study.

Crucial areas of research:

1. Transfer of learning to practice

2. Clinical teaching methodologies

3. Increasing the rate and retention of learning

4. Effectiveness of teaching strategies.

5. Did learning actually occur?

6. Is there a knowledge deficit or performance deficit?

7. What factors are impending the transfer of learning?

Research might be directed towards identifying specific strategies that enhance the transferee of learning from classroom to bedside.

Preparation and research process:

According to Woods and Catanzaro, every nurse regardless of educational preparation can be involved in and benefits from Nursing research.

The ANA recommended that the extent of participation in research should be guided by educational preparation of the practitioner. Nurses with a baccalaureate degree should also be able to read, interpret and evaluate research findings for their application to nursing practice.

Incorporating Research into Staff development responsibilities: Nurses in clinical practice are expected to participate in the research process.

· Educational practitioner with a master’s degree can conduct studies and facilitate research by collaborating with other investigators and by providing course in their area of practice.

· Doctorate prepared nurse provide leadership role by conducting investigations, developing methodologies and integrating scientific knowledge to advance the practice of nursing.

· Conducting and teaching research can be a challenging task for the staff development educator.

Resources for building research:

· The departmental budget should include a provision to cover the cost of attendance at conference and for the purchase of research journals and texts.

· The staff development educators should seek out nursing staff members who are currently enrolled in collegiate programs in nursing because most program include courses in research and statistics.

· Affiliated faculty is also potential sources of information on research and statistical analysis.

· The staff development educator can gain invaluable experience with research by collaborating with experienced researchers.

· Staff development educators understand the functioning of the nursing department, they can suggest changes in research methodology that will facilitate the investigation with minimal disruption of patient care.

· Gives the opportunity to learn about types of research, Research methodology and regulations for conducting the research.

· Kerlinger defined research as systematic, controlled empirical and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about the presumed relation among natural phenomena.

· Purpose is to generate or define new knowledge.

Approches to research in staff development:

Stetler identified 4 strategies:

1. Original research:

It is an investigation undertaken to discover new technologies that does not substantially duplicate the design or methodology of another study.

2. Replication research:

It is based on the previous research either by examination/slight modification

3. Application projects:

It is systematically examining the applicability of findings to nursing practices, management or education.

4. Special projects:

They do evaluation of current needs or practices.

Both application and special project are not true research because less rigorous than other two.

Source for research problems:

a. Practice setting

b. Text and Journals

c. Research reported by others

Source of fundings and support for research in staff development:

· Research project require human, material and financial resources.

· The staff development educator who is conducting an investigation must think about the cost of purchasing instruments, clinical supplies, paper, index cards, files, folders and tests

· There may be other expenses like research assistants, computer time and statistical services.

· Human and material resources may be supplied by employing institution, financial resources usually are not.

· Staff development educator must seek external sources of funds or grants.

Identifying funding sources:

Funds available for research grants have decreased in recent years and competition for these funds has increased, grants are available to staff development, educator who has knowledge of funding agencies.

Private funding agencies:

American Nurses foundation – investigating problems in clinical nursing/ nursing administration.

· Sigma Theta Tace International

· Robert wood Johnson Foundation- Improving access to health care for underserved population.

· Kelogg Foundation- Application of knowledge with priority given to improving.

Ethics and staff development research:

Basic right of human subject participating in research include the right of self-determination, the right to privacy, anonymity, and confidentiality, the right to fair treatment and right to protection from harm.

1. Right of self determination:

Individual can freely choose whether they will participate in research study. They have the right to withdraw from the research. To protect the right the researcher must obtain an informed written consent without resorting to deception.

Informed consent:

· Purpose of study

· Procedure to be followed

· Description of possible benefits

· Provision to ensure anonymity and confidentiality

· Name of content person, signature of subject, researcher and witness.

2. Right to privacy, anonymity and confidentiality:

· Private information will not be gathered from subjects against their will.

· Anonymity-Subject remains nameless in relation to their participation in the study.

3. Right to fair treatment:

Selection of subjects to be done in an equitable manner.

4. Right to protection from harm:

Ethical conduct of nursing research requires the investigator to balance the potential risk of participation against the potential benefits and ensure that the benefit and ensure that the benefits outweigh the risk

Value continuing nursing education:

· Value education is one of the hallmarks of a profession.

· The continuing development of one’s professional skills and knowledge is an empowering experience, preparing the nurse to make decisions with the support of expanding body of knowledge.

· Seminar, workshops and conferences offer opportunities for continued professional growth and empowerment.

· To develop expertise in the science and art of nursing, one needs to be educated in the discipline of nursing.

Responsibility of nurse clinicians to implementresearch to their practice:

· Although we acknowledge the need for clinicians to be in touch with literature even after they complete their schooling.

· We must indoctrinate the nurses early in their career while still in school.

· Schools and colleges of nursing give students’ tools to evaluate research results by teaching nursing research courses

· It is discouraging to see that only 5-10% of our efforts to improve health care has been demonstrated to be effective.

· It means that 90-95% of our clinical practices either harm the patient are ineffective.

· Excellence in clinical practice occurs when clinician use evidence to guide their practice

Responsibility of nurse administrators to connectresearch to their practice:

· In the ideal nursing world, where we are all scholars, nurse administrators would conduct administrative and/or clinical research, finding out the best practices applicable to those domains.

· When managing a clinical unit, the professionals carries the burden of keeping abreast not only the clinical research but also the management literature Nurse administrators can model research utilization by talking about current management research in meeting by supporting and encouraging research into their area to improve health of clients.

Responsibility of nurse educators to connect research to their practice:

· In the ideal world where professional nurses connect and incorporate research into practice, we perceive that nurse educators have a to fold responsibility not only must they are learning theories and strategies to deliver the content, but also stay connect with clinical literature.

· while teaching health related content, nurse educators should attempt to provide clarity show patterns and relationships within the content and help students internalize or retain information so that the student can in turn use the theory in clinical practice.

· Nurse educators can model research utilization by talking about clinical research representative.

Research in Continuing Education Programme:

C. Meribha Christy, V. Hemavathy. Research is systematic enquiry that uses disciplined methods to answer questions or solve problems. The ultimate goal of research is to develop, refine, and expand a body of knowledge. The main advantages of continuing nursing education are acquired specialized skill of personnel and meet technological adjuncts, clinical specialist is needed for direct patient care and for teaching and consultative roles to help the student and staff nurses to reach higher level of competency and it provides opportunities for educational growth compatible with the realities of both work situation and the home responsibilities. In the world, scientific advancement, technologic innovation, social changes are occurring rapidly and new patterns of health care personnel are emerging to these needs and demands qualified nurses are essential.

Challenges in nursing continuing education: A qualitative study: Nursing continuing education with development of knowledge, skill, and attitude results in improvement of nursing activity, and thus improves the health care in the society The research was conducted from April 2012 to February 2013 in Isfahan, Iran. The sampling was begun with purposeful method and continued with snowball method. Thirty-nine participants were selected among the nurses of Alzahra, Kashani, and Noor hospitals, nursing and midwifery faculty, continuing education center, and the vice-chancellery for treatment Data analysis produced 175 initial codes, 8 subthemes, and 5 main themes. The main themes included: Learners related factors, teachers related factors, educational process related factors, inadequate facilities, and defective evaluation.

CONCLUSION:

Change will continue in the health care system, necessitating continuing education to empower nurses to be proactive, not just reactive. A well-educated nursing work force is essential if nursing is to have a strong voice in shaping the changes in health care. An additional advantage of participating in educational experiences is that it creates opportunities for networking.

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Received on 28.03.2024 Modified on 25.05.2024

A and V Pub Int. J. of Nursing and Medical Res. 2024; 3(3):126-130.

DOI: 10.52711/ijnmr.2024.29