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Education and training of practice nurses
C Jarrett1, P Wainwright, L Lewis
1Institute for Health Informatics, Aberystwyth, Dyfed, UK.
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Rural nurses successfully used low-cost videoconferencing for asthma and travel immunization training. Despite initial concerns, the technology proved effective for distance education, becoming a regular part of in-service training, though technical reliability needs improvement.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Medical Technology
- Rural Health
Background:
- Distance education is crucial for healthcare professionals in remote areas.
- Traditional in-service training methods may not reach rural general practices effectively.
- Exploring cost-effective technologies is vital for sustainable professional development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the suitability of low-cost videoconferencing for nurse training in rural settings.
- To assess the effectiveness of distance learning for specific clinical topics like asthma and travel immunization.
- To determine the acceptance and integration of videoconferencing into ongoing professional development.
Main Methods:
- A distance education project involving 17 nurses across 8 rural general practices.
- Utilized low-cost videoconferencing equipment for two training sessions.
- Focused training content on asthma management and travel immunization protocols.
Main Results:
- Intended learning outcomes were successfully achieved by the participating nurses.
- Nurses overcame initial apprehension and adapted quickly to the videoconferencing medium.
- Videoconferencing has been integrated as an accepted method for in-service training.
Conclusions:
- Low-cost videoconferencing is a viable and effective tool for rural nurse education.
- The technology facilitates the achievement of learning outcomes in specialized clinical areas.
- Ongoing technical reliability is a key challenge that needs to be addressed for widespread adoption.