Nursing & Healthcare

Biography

Biography: Zafar Iqbal Channa

Abstract

Degree or license is not the end point of education after basic nursing study. Apparently, basic nursing education for practice becomes obsolete within five to ten years after graduation. This obsolescence can lead to the poor performance of nurses in clinical practice. Rapid scientific and technological discoveries proved that increased demands of specialized nursing knowledge and skills can be replaced by engaging nurses in a set amount of continuing nursing education (CNE) activities for efficient and effective quality care. Study was designed to investigate most influential and predicting barriers impeding nurses’ participation in non-formal CNE programs and suggest strategies to increase nurses’ participation in such activities. Descriptive cross sectional study designed used and data were collected by applying convenience sampling technique of three hundred (n=300) nurses. Modified research instrument “Barriers to Participation Questionnaire (BPQ)” was used to collect data after pilot testing 0.861. Study results showed as “lower the mean score in each type of barrier higher the barrier is measured. Therefore, administrative barrier was found higher and most prevalent barrier with the mean score 2.19 ± 0.83 and work-related barrier was found predicting barrier than financial barriers with the mean score of 2.53 ± 0.85. Financial, family and personal barriers were less impending barriers in nurses’ participation of the CNE programs. To keep nurses abreast with advanced knowledge in changing health care environment, more opportunities of non-formal CNE programs should be provided both in and outside of the hospital or organization.