Using action research to investigate and improve hospice staff participation in workplace education

Finding ways to make good quality education available to all staff in an expanding and increasingly busy hospice organisation is a real challenge. Constantly providing learning opportunities that are then poorly attended owing to the pressure of work is equally disappointing, and leads to questions of cost-effectiveness. An action research project was undertaken to investigate the reasons for low attendance rates at learning events in one hospice. Having identified time and conflict with patient need as major issues, a second cycle of research using literature review and a survey methodology was conducted to find a contemporary and innovative solution to this problem in an attempt to establish a vibrant learning culture. As a result a virtual learning environment--ORACLE (Online Research and Care Learning Environment)--was created to augment the face-to-face sessions and provide staff with access to appropriate learning materials 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.Although unique to this organisation, ORACLE has potential application to any other work environment.