This study aimed to establish the effect of two types of educational intervention on clinical practice involving 34 experimental = 14, control = 20 District Nurses from communities across South Wales who were actively engaged in the assessment and treatment of venous leg ulcer wounds. Experimental and control educational interventions were each designed around expert-ranked venous leg ulcer assessment and treatment key tasks. The experimental educational intervention incorporated added dimensions of identified training needs and preferred learning styles in the educational intervention following knowledge, skill and learning style assessments using valid and reliable measurement instruments. Measurement instruments used were: Royal College of Nursing Continuing Education Examination a specifically constructed Objective Structured Clinical Examination and Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory. Burnout and Previous Development as potential confounding variables were accounted for across each of the two groups using valid and reliable measurement instruments. Measurement Instruments used were: Maslach's Burnout Inventory and a specifically constructed previous development questionnaire. Post-intervention District Nurse clinical practice variation levels were recorded over a six-month period using a specifically constructed clinical practice variation questionnaire. Surprisingly, control group results demonstrated improved clinical practice levels of being better informed about clinical subjects contained within the clinical practice variation questionnaire +5.4% consciously changing the way clinical tasks were approached +3.8% and changing practice by undertaking clinical tasks differently +22.0% . No statistical difference existed between experimental and control groups for categories of: being better informed about clinical subjects and consciously changing the way clinical tasks were approached. However, statistical significance existed between experimental and control groups for the category of changing practice by undertaking clinical tasks differently. The main conclusion to be drawn from this study was that the hypothetical proposal of this type of educational intervention demonstrating improved experimental group District Nurse clinical practice over control group District Nurse clinical practice was, at a statistical level, not supported. However, clinical practice variation questionnaire results demonstrated improved control group clinical practice over experimental group clinical practice and that in such unexpected circumstances, this phenomenon required further investigation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:583755 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Seeley, Michael A. |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/54273/ |
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