Mills Jane, Francis Karen, McLeod Margaret, Al-Motlaq Mohammad
Collegian. 2015;22(3):283-9. doi: 10.1016/j.colegn.2014.02.003.
Nurses and midwives collectively, represent the largest workforce category in rural and remote areas of Australia. Maintaining currency of practice and attaining annual licensure with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA) present challenges for individual nurses and midwives and for their health service managers. Engagement with information and communication technologies, in order for geographically isolated clinicians to access ongoing education and training, is considered a useful strategy to address such challenges. This paper presents a pre- and post-test study design. It examines the impact of an online continuing professional development (CPD) program on Australian rural nurses and midwives. The aims of the program were to increase basic skill acquisition in the utilisation of common computer software, the use of the Internet and the enhancement of email communication. Findings from the study demonstrate that participants who complete a relevant CPD program gain confidence in the use of information and communication technologies. Further, increased confidence leads to increased access to contemporary, reliable and important health care information on the Internet, in addition to clinicians adopting email as a regular method of communication. Health care employers commonly assume employees are skilled users of information and communication technologies. However, findings from this study contradict such assumptions. It is argued in the recommendations that health care employees should be given regular access to CPD programs designed to introduce them to information and communication technologies. Developing knowledge and skills in this area has the potential to improve staff productivity, raise health care standards and improve patient outcomes.
护士和助产士加起来，构成了澳大利亚农村和偏远地区最大的劳动力群体。对于个体护士和助产士以及他们的医疗服务管理者来说，保持实践的时效性并获得澳大利亚卫生从业人员监管局（AHPRA）的年度执照是一项挑战。让地理上孤立的临床医生能够参与信息和通信技术，以便获取持续的教育和培训，被认为是应对此类挑战的一项有用策略。本文呈现了一项前后测试的研究设计。它考察了一个在线继续职业发展（CPD）项目对澳大利亚农村护士和助产士的影响。该项目的目标是提高在使用常见计算机软件、运用互联网以及加强电子邮件通信方面的基本技能掌握。研究结果表明，完成相关CPD项目的参与者在使用信息和通信技术方面获得了信心。此外，信心的增强除了使临床医生将电子邮件作为一种常规通信方式外，还能让他们更多地获取互联网上当代、可靠且重要的医疗保健信息。医疗保健雇主通常认为员工是信息和通信技术的熟练使用者。然而，本研究的结果与这种假设相矛盾。在建议中指出，医疗保健员工应定期有机会参加旨在让他们接触信息和通信技术的CPD项目。在这一领域培养知识和技能有可能提高员工生产力、提升医疗保健标准并改善患者治疗效果。
