Nurse Educ Today. 2018 Aug;67:56-63. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.04.021. Epub 2018 Apr 21.
The value of continuing professional development: A realistic evaluation of a multi-disciplinary workshop for health visitors dealing with children with complex needs.
Nurse education today
Alison Steven, Valerie Larkin, Jane Stewart, Belinda Bateman
Affiliations
Affiliations
- Northumbria University Newcastle, Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Coach lane campus, Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE77XA, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
- Northumbria University Newcastle, Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Coach lane campus, Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE77XA, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
- Newcastle University & Northumbria Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, School of Medical Education, The Medical School, Ridley Building 1, NE1 7RU, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
- Northumbria Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, North Tyneside General Hospital, Rake Lane, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE29 8NH, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 29754114
DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.04.021
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Continuing Professional Development is important for maintaining and developing knowledge and skills. Evidence regarding direct impact on practice is limited. Existing literature often lacks sufficient detail regarding the initiative or its evaluation, making transferability problematic.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact and perceived value of multi-disciplinary Continuing Professional Development workshops for Health Visitors who support families with children with complex health needs.
DESIGN: Realistic Evaluation principles guided the research. Workshop attendees were invited to participate (n.21), 81% (n.17) agreed. Data collection included a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis.
SETTING: One North of England Health Service Trust.
FINDINGS: Interrelated temporal themes emerged. Before the workshop expectations included, uncertainty regarding content and ambiguity regarding attendance. During workshops comments focused on networking opportunities, the detail, content and facilitation of the learning experience. 'Emotional safety' enabled interaction, sharing and absorption of information, and potentially increased trust, confidence and social capital. Participants viewed the workshop as informative, enhancing insight regarding roles, services and processes. Post-workshop participants reported examples of practice enhancements attributed to workshop attendance including: confidence building; improved team working; facilitation of early referral and accessing additional support for families.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest initiative developers aiming CPD at new or existing teams need to consider nurturing social capital and to pay attention to the context and mechanisms, which can prompt attendance, engagement and subsequent practice application.
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Child health; Community health nursing; Education; Evaluation research; Practice development; Professional development
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