Evaluating an education programme in general palliative care for community nurses.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Palliative Care
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Community nurses play a vital role in delivering palliative care.
• There is a need to enhance the knowledge and confidence of community nurses in providing palliative care.
• Existing education programs may not fully address the evolving needs of palliative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a palliative care education program on community nurses' self-reported knowledge and confidence.
• To assess the long-term effectiveness of the education program.
• To determine if the program improved nurses' perception of their professional needs.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, longitudinal study design was employed.
• Data were collected using postal questionnaires at three time points: pre-course, post-course, and one year after the course.
• A total of 72 community nurses participated in the study.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in Palliative Care Nursing Quiz scores was observed post-course and maintained at one year (P=0.001).
• Nurses reported higher satisfaction with their professional needs being met after the program.
• Confidence in palliative care practice demonstrated an increasing trend over time.

Conclusions:

• The palliative care education program was effective in enhancing nurses' knowledge and confidence.
• The improvements in knowledge and confidence were sustained one year after the program.
• The program contributed to the professional development of community nurses in palliative care.