The effect of education on hypothetical and actual oxygen administration decisions.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the effect of an education intervention on emergency nurses' decisions related to oxygen administration.


METHODS
A controlled pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design was used. The intervention was a written self directed learning package. Outcome measures were (i) factual knowledge measured using parallel form multiple choice questions (MCQs) and (ii) clinical decisions measured using parallel form MCQs, parallel form patient scenarios and clinical practice observation.


RESULTS
Eighty-eight nurses from 4 Melbourne EDs participated in the study (control group: n=37 and experimental group: n=51). Subgroups of nurses from the experimental group also participated in the patient scenarios (n=20) and clinical practice observation (n=10). Emergency nurses' knowledge increased as a function of education. Both patient scenario data and clinical practice observation showed decreased selection of nasal cannulae, increased selection of air entrainment masks and a trend towards selection of higher oxygen flow rates following education.


CONCLUSIONS
Evaluation of educational interventions in nursing should focus on identifying strategies that enhance learning in a clinical environment, are valid in terms of the clinical context and culture in which they are being used and most importantly, produce sustained improvements in actual clinical practice.
Considine
Julie
J
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, 3125 Vic., Australia. julie.considine@deakin.edu.au
Botti
Mari
M
Thomas
Shane
S
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003657:Decision Making; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D018579:Patient Selection; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria