Using Unit Education Champions to Improve Education Delivery to Frontline Nurses

Abstract

Purpose. This quality improvement project aimed to improve the knowledge, retention of information, and to increase the satisfaction of education delivery to frontline staff in a large acute care hospital system by using staff Registered Nurse Unit Education Champions (RN UECs) to deliver biweekly education. Background. Current processes for healthcare clinicians to obtain information and education needed for daily practices are not adequate to keep up with the rapidly expanding growth in knowledge. For RNs working in acute care hospitals, this often means that knowledge gaps continue to broaden and may affect the quality-of-care patients receive, especially those with complex medical problems. It is suggested that when there are opportunities to integrate learned information into practice, nurses’ critical thinking and clinical judgment develop quickly. The RN UEC model explores the ability to improve the knowledge and retention of information of nurses by receiving education while they are on shift which allows them to integrate their new knowledge immediately. Methods. The pilot used the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approach and implemented the RN UEC model in four nursing units with similar patient populations. The education was delivered after a pretest survey was given to establish baseline knowledge of the topic and to evaluate their satisfaction with the current education delivery method. Two posttest surveys were given, one immediately after the education was delivered and the other one to four weeks after the education was completed. These posttest surveys contained the same questions. Results. There was an immediate improvement in knowledge after the delivery of education and while there was a decline in the long-term retention of the information, there continued to be an overall improvement of knowledge from baseline. Additionally, there was improved satisfaction from the frontline staff with the RN UEC model for education delivery. Conclusion. It has been established through this project that the use of the RN UEC model is an effective way to deliver education for the improvement of knowledge and retention of information in a highly satisfying way for the frontline nursing staff.