Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Participation in Continuing Nursing Education Programs Among Nursing Officers...

Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) is an essential aspect of lifelong learning that helps nurses improve their knowledge, clinical skills, and professional competence for quality patient care. Active participation in CNE programs supports evidence-based nursing practice and enhances healthcare outcomes. However, the involvement of nursing officers in continuing education activities is often influenced by several individual, workplace, and organizational factors, which may either encourage or limit their participation.

A descriptive cross-sectional study using the convenience sampling technique was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, across various clinical departments to assess the barriers and facilitators influencing participation in CNE programs among nursing officers. A total of 383 nursing officers participated in the study.

The data analysis revealed that the majority of nursing officers demonstrated high awareness regarding CNE programs (334; 87.2%). Heavy workload and staff shortage during duty hours were identified as the major barriers influencing participation in CNE activities (mean ± standard deviation (SD): 4.03 ± 0.97), followed by lack of time due to patient care responsibilities (3.79 ± 1.03) and fatigue after long shifts (3.32 ± 1.21). The most important facilitators encouraging participation were clinically relevant and updated topics (4.13 ± 0.84), flexible scheduling (4.04 ± 0.82), peer encouragement (4.04 ± 0.88), and supportive learning environments (4.03 ± 0.92). The analysis also showed no statistically significant association between demographic variables and awareness regarding CNE participation among nursing officers (p > 0.05).

The study's findings indicate that workload, staff shortage, and time constraints were the major barriers to participation in CNE programs among nursing officers. Flexible scheduling, peer support, and interactive learning methods were identified as important facilitators that encouraged participation in CNE activities.