Interactive workshops as a learning and teaching method for primary healthcare nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Primary Healthcare
• Continuing Professional Development

Background:

• Traditional didactic teaching methods are prevalent in primary healthcare (PHC) nursing education.
• Interactive workshops offer a potential alternative for refreshing nurses' knowledge in PHC settings.
• Exploring the feasibility of interactive workshops to improve patient care knowledge among nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe interactive workshops as an innovative learning and teaching methodology for primary healthcare nurses.
• To evaluate the impact of interactive workshops on nurses' knowledge and satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted, followed by an exploratory experimental pre-test/post-test control group design.
• Twenty-six primary healthcare clinics were sampled, with 5 control and 5 experimental sites selected.
• Forty-two nurses were divided into control (n=21) and experimental (n=21) groups; the latter attended 5 interactive workshops focusing on diabetes care.

Main Results:

• A review of 20 articles identified various interactive activities, role-playing, and learning content suitable for workshops.
• Experimental participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements in knowledge regarding peripheral sensation (p=0.03) and other key diabetes messages (p<0.01).
• Post-workshop questionnaires indicated high participant satisfaction with the interactive learning experience.

Conclusions:

• Interactive workshops are a feasible and effective method for enhancing knowledge and increasing participant satisfaction among PHC nurses.
• This instructional method shows promise for refresher courses for healthcare providers.
• Integrating interactive workshops with other teaching modalities could further optimize learning and teaching effectiveness.