Determining Nursing Education Needs During a Rapidly Changing COVID-19 Environment

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Pandemic Response

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated immediate implementation of infection control procedures.
• Healthcare institutions faced urgent demands for large-scale staff education on new protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement effective infection prevention and patient management education for nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To describe strategies for meeting urgent training needs under resource constraints.

Main Methods:

• Collaboration within the Department of Professional Practice and Education to prioritize training topics.
• Suspension of noncritical educational programs to reallocate resources.
• Deployment of multiple training modalities and a dedicated team for curriculum development.

Main Results:

• Sixty to seventy percent of 1015 staff received training within 6 days.
• Comprehensive training concluded over a 3-week period, addressing identified educational needs.
• Successful large-scale training was achieved despite resource limitations.

Conclusions:

• Urgent, large-scale training is feasible using diverse educational methods, program prioritization, and effective teamwork.
• A focused committee can efficiently develop and implement critical training during public health crises.
• The study demonstrates a scalable model for rapid healthcare education during pandemics.