nurses’ and head nurses’ information retrieval training – collecting and comparing...

Nurses’ and head nurses’information retrieval training– collecting and comparing expectations andfeedback for evidence-based decisions

EBLIP6, 27-30 June 2011. Valuing knowledge and expertise.

Tuulevi OvaskaUniversity of Eastern Finland Library

Kuopio University Hospital Medical LibraryKuopio, Finland

Background

•Extensive in-service training programmes (courses) in evidence-basedpractice for nurses and head nurses in Kuopio University Hospital(KUH)

– Promoting evidence-based nursing in KUH, 2009-2010 (nurses)– Evidence-based leadership, 2010-2011 (head nurses)

•Organized by KUH in collaboration with the Department of NursingScience of the University of Eastern Finland

– Practical organizer KUH Educational Services•Information retrieval (IR) skills training was integrated in both

courses in order for nurses and head nurses to be able to searchevidence effectively.

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Assumptions and presumptions

•There was no doubt as to the need and usefulness of IRskills training for the nurses’ course.

– Considered to be an essential part of the program– Given a relatively sufficient amount of time

• Lecture 4 x 45 min• Hands-on training sessions on Finnish databases 3 x 45 min• Hands-on training sessions on international databases 3 x 45 min• Training material and ask-a-librarian service in Moodle (an e-

learning platform)– Nurses were not asked if they needed IR training or if they

already had IR skills


Assumptions and presumptions

•Instead, before the programme for head nurses theorganizers assumed that all participants would have atleast basic IR skills and that some of them might notneed IR training at all.

– IR part of the course for head nurses was optional– IR training section for head nurses was smaller than that of

nurses' course• Lecture 4 x 45 min• Hands-on training sessions on Finnihs and international databases

4 x 45 min• Training material in Moodle (e-learning platform)


Collecting expectations

•When applying for the course the head nurses were asked abouttheir

– IR skills level– knowledge of five reference databases– willingness to participate in the optional IR training.

•This was done in order to be able to adjust the contents of the IRtraining sessions according to their needs.

– However, less time, compared to the nurses’ course, was alreadyscheduled for IR training, regardless of what the needs might be.


Applicants' answers to IR skills questionsAlmost all (88 %) of the head nurses were willing to attend the optional IR training


Applicants' answers to IR skills questions


IR skills were not as good as assumed

•Less than a third (29 %) of the head nurses considered they hadexcellent or good IR skills

•More than a half (56 %) considered that they had only satisfactoryIR skills

•12 % thought they had weak IR skills•4 % were unable to assess their IR skills


Applicants' answers to IR skills questions


Variation in database knowledge

•Only one had had experience in searching all of them•About half had experience in searching at least one of them

– Medic, the Finnish health sciences database, was the most familiar,but only to half of the head nurses

•The time allocated for IR training turned out to be too limitedconsidering the skills levels and the needs of the head nurse.


Collecting feedback

•After both courses, feedback about the IR skills trainingwas collected using a questionnaire.

•The results were analyzed both separately and incomparison with each other.

– The comparisons are presented here.


Feedback percentages


Feedback results

•There were many differences between nurses' and headnurses' opinions regarding the IR training, always in favour of thenurses' programme.

– Did not meet head nurses’ expectations as well as those of nurses– Nurses found the training very comprehensible more often than head

nurses– Head nurses found the schedule inconvenient more often than nurses– Nurses found the lecture more useful than head nurses– Nurses found the training sessions more useful than head nurses– Nurses found the training material more useful than head nurses– Head nurses did not report learning as much as nurses– Head nurses did not seem as confident as nurses about their ability to

utilize their new IR skills at work or in some other context


Conclusions

•IR education needs of head nurses had morevariation than those of nurses.

•It was not realistic to assume that head nursesautomatically had better IR skills, or that some of themwould not benefit from IR training.

•Advance data must be collected before makingschedules and allocating time for IR training.

•Instead of assumptions and presumptions regarding aheterogeneous group, only facts should matter.

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Literature1. Dee C, Stanley EE. Information-seeking behavior of nursing students and clinical

nurses: Implications for health sciences librarians. J Med Libr Assoc. 2005;93(2):213-22.

2. Kvist T, Tervo-Heikkinen T, Miettinen M, Vehviläinen-Julkunen K. Hoitotyöntutkimusneuvosto kehittää näyttöön perustuvaa hoitotyötä KYSissä.Sairaanhoitaja. 2011; 84(2):48-51.

3. Ovaska T. Supporting evidence-based nursing. In: Proceedings of EAHIL workshop2007; 12-15 September; Cracow, Poland. European Association for HealthInformation and Libraries; 2007. [Available at:http://www.eahil.net/conferences/krakow_2007/www.bm.cm-uj.krakow.pl/eahil/proceedingsOral.html]

4. Saranto K, Jylhä V, Kinnunen U. Are nurses prepared for engagement toevidence-based practice with new technologies? In: Cashin A, Cook R, editors.Evidence-based practice in nursing informatics : concepts and applications. Hershey,PA: Medical Information Science Reference; 2011. p. 98-112.

5. Skiba DJ. Preparing for evidence-based practice: Revisiting information literacy.Nurs Educ Perspect. 2005;26(5):310-1.

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Acknowledgements

Ulla Ritvanen, for revising the EnglishKirsi Salmi, co-teacher

www.uef.fi/kirjasto

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