ISSN:
1525-1446
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Because nurses in rural home health agencies function as monitoring agents for the health care team, their role has grown to include increased patient assessment responsibilities. The rural setting, however, can prevent nurses from receiving the kind of training that enables them to provide accurate assessment data to their teams. In Vermont, an educational program in respiratory assessment was built into the work load of 34 nurses in five rural home health agencies. Using a collaborative, individualized training plan, this study aimed to determine the number of interactions with a trained assessment educator that would bring nursing assessment skills to an optimal level. Learners' scores in inspection, palpation, and percussion increased significantly after 10 collaborative training visits, holding steady through a six-month posttest. Significant change in auscultation skill occurred after 20 collaborative visits, but returned to preinstruction levels at the six-month posttest. The study points to the potential of collaborative education for home health nurses, accommodating both the need for educational experience and the constraints against education within the dispersed rural health care system.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1446.1986.tb00475.x
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