Translating continuing professional development education to nursing practice in Rwanda: Enhancing maternal and newborn health

This study was conducted in 2014 in five district hospitals (Nyamata, Rwamagana, Gahini, Kiziguro, and Kibungo) located in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.PurposeExplore nurses’ experiences of translating continuing professional development (CPD) education utilizing the HBB© course to nursing practice in Rwanda.MethodsQualitative descriptive design. A purposive sample of 10 nurses participated in individual interviews. NVIVO computer software was used to manage qualitative data. Content analysis was used for generating categories from the data.FindingsThree categories emerged from the analysis: 1) application of competencies acquired from education sessions to practice, 2) benefits of CPD, and 3) facilitators and barriers to the application of competencies into practice. Qualitative interviews revealed that Nurses’ perceived confidence in performing newborn resuscitation improved after taking part in HBB© courses. Nonetheless, nurses voiced the existence of conditions in their work environment that hindered their ability to apply the acquired knowledge and skills including insufficient materials, shortages of nurses, and potential inadequate human resource allocation.Recommendations and conclusionRegular offerings of newborn resuscitation CPD courses to health professionals in developing countries could increase their knowledge and skills, which could potentially reduce neonatal mortality. The findings from this study underscore a need to attend to the shortages of nurse...
Source: International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences - Category: African Health Source Type: research