title: Evaluation of a Continuing Educational Intervention for Primary Health Care Professionals about Nutritional Care of Patients at Home.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the effectiveness of a continuing educational intervention on primary health care professionals' familiarity with information important to nutritional care in a palliative phase, their collaboration with other caregivers, and their level of knowledge about important aspects of nutritional care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  10 primary health care centers in Stockholm County, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  140 district nurses/registered nurses and general practitioners/physicians working with home care.
  
  
  METHODS
  87 professionals participated in the intervention group (IG) and 53 in the control group (CG). The intervention consisted of a web-based program offering factual knowledge; a practical exercise linking existing and new knowledge, abilities, and skills; and a case seminar facilitating reflection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The intervention's effects were measured by a computer-based study-specific questionnaire before and after the intervention, which took approximately 1 month. The CG completed the questionnaire twice (1 month between response occasions). The intervention effects, odds ratios, were estimated by an ordinal logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the intra-group analyses, statistically significant changes occurred in the IG's responses to 28 of 32 items and the CG's responses to 4 of 32 items. In the inter-group analyses, statistically significant effects occurred in 20 of 32 statements: all 14 statements that assessed familiarity with important concepts and all 4 statements about collaboration with other caregivers but only 2 of the 14 statements concerning level of knowledge. The intervention effect varied between 2.5 and 12.0.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention was effective in increasing familiarity with information important to nutritional care in a palliative phase and collaboration with other caregivers, both of which may create prerequisites for better nutritional care. However, the intervention needs to be revised to better increase the professionals' level of knowledge about important aspects of nutritional care.
authors.affiliation: Erika Berggren, Academic Primary Health Care Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, S-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden, Email: erika.berggren@ki.se, phone: +46 8 52488717.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berggren
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Orrevall
authors.forename: A Ödlund
authors.initials: AÖ
authors.lastname: Olin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Szulkin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Törnkvist
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D018529:Nutritional Support; D010166:Palliative Care; D010820:Physicians; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden