title: Impact of an intensive nursing education course on nurses' knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and perceived skills in the care of patients with cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of a cancer nursing education course on RNs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quasi-experimental, longitudinal, pretest/post-test design, with a follow-up assessment six weeks after the completion of the nursing education course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urban, nongovernment, cancer control agency in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  53 RNs, of whom 93% were female, with a mean age of 44.6 years and a mean of 16.8 years of experience in nursing; 86% of the nurses resided and worked in regional areas outside of the state capital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scales included the Intervention With Psychosocial Needs: Perceived Importance and Skill Level Scale, Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses, Breast Cancer Knowledge, Preparedness for Cancer Nursing, and Satisfaction With Learning. Data were analyzed using multiple analysis of variance and paired t tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cancer nursing-related knowledge, preparedness for cancer nursing, and attitudes toward and perceived skills in the psychosocial care of patients with cancer and their families.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to nurses in the control group, nurses who attended the nursing education course improved in their cancer nursing-related knowledge, preparedness for cancer nursing, and attitudes toward and perceived skills in the psychosocial care of patients with cancer and their families. Improvements were evident at course completion and were maintained at the six-week follow-up assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The nursing education course was effective in improving nurses' scores on all outcome variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continuing nursing education courses that use intensive mode timetabling, small group learning, and a mix of teaching methods, including didactic and interactive approaches and clinical placements, are effective and have the potential to improve nursing practice in oncology.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Cancer Fund, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ssteginga@qldcancer.com.au
authors.forename: Suzanne K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Steginga
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dewar
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: Patsy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Beadle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000592:standards