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Nutrition assessment: experience is not a predictor of knowledge
1Intercollegiate College of Nursing, Washington State University College of Nursing, Spokane 99224-5291, USA.
Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing
|March 1, 2002
Summary
A nutrition education program improved nursing home nurses' knowledge, but deficits remained. Less experienced nurses showed better post-test scores, and resident weight loss decreased.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Nursing Education
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Licensed nurses in nursing homes require continuous education in nutrition.
- Existing nutritional knowledge among nursing staff may be insufficient to prevent adverse resident outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an evidence-based nutrition education program for nursing home nurses.
- To assess the impact of the program on nurses' nutritional knowledge and resident outcomes.
Main Methods:
- An evidence-based nutrition education program was implemented for licensed nurses.
- Pretest and posttest scores were used to measure changes in nutritional knowledge.
- Correlation between nurse experience, roles, and post-test scores was analyzed.
- Resident weight loss data was collected before and after the intervention.
Main Results:
- Nurses' average post-test scores increased from 56% to 66%, indicating a knowledge gap persists.
- Less experienced nurses outperformed more experienced nurses on post-tests.
- More experienced nurses were more likely to perform nutritional assessments and hold charge nurse or Minimum Data Set (MDS) roles.
- A reduction in the percentage of residents experiencing significant weight loss was observed.
Conclusions:
- The nutrition education program partially improved nurses' knowledge but did not eliminate all deficits.
- Nurse experience level appears to influence knowledge retention and application.
- Further targeted interventions may be necessary to address persistent nutritional knowledge gaps in experienced nursing staff.
- The program showed a positive trend in reducing resident weight loss, suggesting potential clinical benefits.
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