Needs assessment surveys in gerontological nursing: are we really assessing continuing education needs and priorities?

The growing elderly population with diverse and complex health care needs requires increased attention to educational preparation for nurses who provide their care. This article describes a needs assessment effort that reinforces the importance of using a variety of strategies to collect data to facilitate planning relevant educational offerings. Results of the study indicated a wide variety of learning needs and diverse opinions regarding priorities. In addition, all participants in the study indicated perceptions of greater educational need for other RNs in gerontological practice than for themselves. The extent of the perception of need for educational offerings in gerontology and the lack of consensus about priorities indicate a need for further research. Several issues surrounding survey methods for collecting needs assessment data are discussed.