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Perinatal nursing education for single‐room maternity care: an evaluation of a competency‐based model
Author(s) -
Janssen Patricia A,
Keen Lois,
Soolsma Jetty,
Seymour Laurie C,
Harris Susan J,
Klein Michael C,
Reime Birgit
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2004.01014.x
Subject(s) - nursing , medicine , maternity care , scale (ratio) , pregnancy , genetics , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
Aims and objectives. To evaluate the success of a competency‐based nursing orientation programme for a single‐room maternity care unit by measuring improvement in self‐reported competency after six months. Background. Single‐room maternity care has challenged obstetrical nurses to provide comprehensive nursing care during all phases of the in‐hospital birth experience. In this model, nurses provide intrapartum, postpartum and newborn care in one room. To date, an evaluation of nursing education for single‐room maternity care has not been published. Design. A prospective cohort design comparing self‐reported competencies prior to starting work in the single‐room maternity care and six months after. Methods. Nurses completed a competency‐based education programme in which they could select from a menu of learning methods and content areas according to their individual needs. Learning methods included classroom lectures, self‐paced learning packages, and preceptorships in the clinical area. Competencies were measured by a standardized perinatal self‐efficacy tool and a tool developed by the authors for this study, the Single‐Room Maternity Care Competency Tool. A paired analysis was undertaken to take into account the paired (before and after) nature of the design. Results. Scores on the perinatal self‐efficacy scale and the single‐room maternity care competency tool were improved. These differences were statistically significant. Conclusions. Improvements in perinatal and single‐room maternity care‐specific competencies suggest that our education programme was successful in preparing nurses for their new role in the single‐room maternity care setting. This conclusion is supported by reported increases in nursing and patient satisfaction in the single‐room maternity care compared with the traditional labour/delivery and postpartum settings. Relevance to clinical practice. An education programme tailored to the learning needs of experienced clinical nurses contributes to improvements in nursing competencies and patient care.