Continuing professional education and interacting variables affecting behavioral change in practice: instrument...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Professional Development
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Continuing professional education (CPE) is crucial for healthcare professionals.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of CPE is complex and requires robust measurement tools.
• Cervero's model provides a framework for understanding CPE processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate instruments for measuring variables related to CPE effectiveness.
• To assess the reliability and validity of newly developed measurement tools.
• To provide nurses with tools to evaluate educational impact on practice.

Main Methods:

• Instrument development based on Cervero's model variables.
• Content validity established through expert panel review.
• Reliability assessed via multiple studies, including test-retest and Cronbach's alpha.
• Factor analysis used to confirm construct validity.

Main Results:

• Instruments demonstrated strong reliability across multiple studies (Cronbach's alpha).
• Test-retest study confirmed instrument stability.
• Factor analysis validated that instrument items align with Cervero's Model concepts.
• Established content validity through expert consensus.

Conclusions:

• The developed instruments are reliable and valid for measuring CPE effectiveness.
• These tools can aid continuing education and staff development nurses in assessing educational impact.
• The instruments facilitate the measurement of behavioral changes in nursing practice post-education.