The Lived Experience of Nurses on the Role of Continuing Education Programs in Promoting Their Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude Toward Non-Communicable Diseases

Abstract

BackgroundContinuing professional education is essential for nurses to provide quality patient care and upgrade their professional skills and competence. The need for continuing medical education (CME) has become more apparent in the face of advances in medical science, the ever-changing healthcare system, and the important role nurses play in improving health care. It is therefore imperative to explore nurses’ experience of CME courses and the extent to which such programs are effective. The present qualitative study aimed to assess the lived experience of nurses on the effect of CE programs in promoting their knowledge, skill, and attitude toward non-communicable diseases.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in 2019-2020 at various hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran). The target population was nurses actively working in the chronic wards of these hospitals. The participants were selected using maximum variation sampling, including nursing managers, education and clinical supervisors, and staff nurses. Data were collected through individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analysed using the conventional content analysis method. Data trustworthiness was assessed according to the criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln.ResultsAnalysis of the interview data resulted in 230 primary codes based on which 15 subcategories, 6 categories, and 3 themes were identified. The extracted themes were training to improve knowledge and attitude, training to improve professional skills, and the need for effective training programs. The associated categories weretraining to improve clinical knowledge, training to improve professional attitude, training in clinical skills related to holistic and person‐centred care, communication skills training, incorporate the fundamentals of effective training, and recognize common challenges and barriers to effective training.ConclusionProfessional competence and performance of nurses can be improved through intrinsic motivation stimulation, planning and implementation of training programs based on professional needs, and effective assessment of the teaching/learning process.