Communication tools and sources of education and information: a national survey of rural and remote nurses

Abstract

Objective: This study examined accessibility of communication tools in the workplace, use of education to update nursing knowledge, and use of information to make specific decisions in practice among registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in rural and remote communities in Canada.Methods: Data were analyzed from the cross-sectional survey, “Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada II,” of regulated nurses practicing in all provinces and territories of Canada. Data were collected from April 2014 to August 2015.Results: The survey was completed by 3,822 of 9,622 nurses (40% response), and the present analysis was conducted with a subsample of 2,827 nurses. High-speed Internet was the most accessible communication tool, and nurses used “online/electronic education” more often than “in-person education” to update their nursing knowledge. Internet searches were used more often than several other online/electronic sources to inform decision making. Compared to LPNs, RNs reported greater workplace access to most communication tools and greater use of online/electronic education as well as information sources in online/electronic and print formats. Compared to nurses in community-based health care and hospital settings, nurses in long-term care settings reported lower access to most communication tools, lower use of online/electronic and in-person education, and lower use of online/electronic information.Conclusions: Access to continuing education and up-to-date information is important for effective patient care. This study points to a need for further research on the continuing education and information needs of rural and remote RNs and LPNs, and on their capacity to incorporate and apply new knowledge in practice.

Nurses’ professional identity and information needs in the time of Covid-19: A latent cluster analysis

“…With regard to information sources being used to get informed about Covid-19, we focused on online and electronic information sources (such social media) and analogue information sources for example provided as information letters by organisations. [33] We focus on nurses' fear as a reaction to the emotional stress caused by Covid-19. Fear can be described as the "confrontation with uncertainty and existential threat" (p.15167).…”

Continuing Education for Home Care Nurses

“…There are also challenges and opportunities for HCNs to participate in CNE. Barriers to CNE discussed in the literature include: lack of time (Govranos & Newton, 2014;Ni et al, 2014); work commitments (Ni et al;Shahhosseini & Hamzehgardeshi, 2014); cost (Ni et al); and access to high-speed internet (Kosteniuk et al, 2019). Some of the opportunities for CNE come from nurses' desires to gain new knowledge (Chong et al, 2011;Ni et al).…”

“…There are challenges in education and skills development for HCNs that are exacerbated in rural and remote areas. For rural HCNs who wish to participate in CNE, barriers include: geographical distance to urban centers, organizational support, and lower access to high-speed internet than in urban areas (Kosteniuk et al, 2019). Continuing education in rural home care is not as well supported as in urban areas due to the smaller HCN population in rural areas (Kosteniuk et al, 2016).…”

Influence of communication, collaboration, and decision-making skills on the efficacy of nurses in conducting neonatal resuscitation

“…Effective communication has been widely referred to as key indicators against patient recovery [16]. Data of respondents' characteristics in the research showed that the respondents were averagely 31 years old, which remarked a phase of individual maturity, physically and emotionally [17]. Those who committed such a communication skill were in need of self-trust as regards selfefficacy.…”