Training needs assessment for practicing pediatric critical care nurses in Malawi to inform the development of a specialized master’s education pathway: a cohort study

Abstract

Background Significant improvements in under-five mortality in Malawi have been demonstrated over the past thirty years; however, Malawian healthcare remains with gaps in availability and access to quality pediatric critical care nursing training and education. To improve expertise of pediatric critical care nurses in Malawi, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), and Mercy James Center (MJC) entered a partnership with Seed Global Health, a US non-governmental organization. A needs assessment was conducted to understand the training needs of nurses currently working in pediatric critical care and in preparation for the development of a specialized Master’s in Child Health pathway in Pediatric Critical Care (PCC) Nursing at KUHeS. Methods The needs assessment was completed using a survey questionnaire formatted using an ABCDE (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure) framework. The questionnaire had Likert scale and yes/no questions. Data was manually entered into excel and was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results One hundred and fifty-three nurses at QECH and MJC responded to the survey. Most nurses were between the ages of 25 and 35 years (N = 98, 64%), female (N = 105, 69%), and held either a Bachelors (N = 72, 47%) or diploma (N = 70, 46%) in nursing. Nurses had high rates of confidence in certain skills: airway management (N = 120, 99%), breathing assessment & management (N = 153, 100%). However, nurses demonstrated little to no confidence in areas such as: mechanical ventilation (N = 68, 44%), ECG evaluation (N = 74, 48%), and arterial blood gas collection & interpretation (N = 49, 32%). Conclusion It is important to identify priority areas for training and skills development to address in the PCC master’s within the child health pathway at KUHeS. Ideally this partnership will produce practice-ready PCC nurses and will establish a recognized PCC nursing workforce in Malawi.

Development and initiation of a preceptor program to improve midwifery and nursing clinical education in sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a mixed methods study

“…[8][9][10] Recognizing the importance of clinical education in midwifery and nursing education, Seed Global Health undertook needs assessments in both Sierra Leone and Malawi to understand next steps for improving education. 11,12 The results of both assessments show the need for expanded quality and quantity of clinical preceptors to strengthen students' clinical learning outcomes, ultimately to improve maternal and child mortality. Preceptor programs have shown effective ways to promote critical thinking and advance learning of clinical concepts such as in Ghana, Pakistan, as well as improving patient outcomes in the USA, Ghana,, and Kenya.…”

Midwifery Continuity of Care in Indonesia: Initiation of Mobile Health Development Integrating Midwives’ Competency and Service Needs

“…In this case, education and training that are appropriate to the context and meet the different needs of midwives must be available to support the professional growth of midwives [ 45 ]. A needs assessment was conducted to understand midwives’ education and training needs, including addressing gaps in the availability and access to quality education in general and training in particular [ 46 ]. A recent systematic literature review stated an urgent need for midwives’ competency because of existing gaps in quality competency involving education, training, and services’ provision [ 34 ].…”