The development, implementation, validation and evaluation of a continuing professional development learning programme for nurses working in Saudi Arabia

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Saudi Arabian Government has implemented a nation-wide policy to prepare its people for theworkforce and has directed that the Saudi Council for Health Specialties (SCHS) be established.Under the SCHS umbrella the Saudi Nursing Board (SNB) has been formed for the purpose ofregulating the nursing profession. While Saudi Arabia has for many years been dependent on theinternational community for nurses, it is now establishing its own nursing workforce. One challengefor the SCHS and the SNB is to ensure that practice standards are developed, since ultimatelynursing practice affects the quality of the patient services and patient health outcomes.The Saudi nursing profession has a responsibility to develop its social mandate and provide a fullrange of services to the Saudi public. Systems and education programmes are required for allaspects of the regulatory process, including continuing professional development. Effectiveregulation systems are not based on a 'one size fits all approach. Furthermore, nurses need toinsist on high quality education to develop both basic and ongoing competence and should be ableto depend on the profession for social status and credibility.The purpose of this research was to develop, implement, validate and evaluate a continuingprofessional development learning programme for nurses working in Saudi Arabia. The learningprogramme was built from a vision of nurses (regardless of country) engaging in lifelong learningfor the purpose of ensuring quality patient care and population health. The development of acontinuing professional development learning programme is an initial step in fulfilling the need foreducational structures to support standards of practice.The overall outcome of the research was functional by nature in that the knowledge of continuingprofessional development in nursing was generated and applied to nursing practice in SaudiArabia. In view of the nature of the question, a mixed methodology was selected. Although thequalitative aspect was dominant, both the qualitative and quantitative aspects were usedsimultaneously. The design included exploratory and descriptive aspects. Furthermore, theresearcher employed qualitative methods to develop, implement and evaluate the provisional learning programme and quantitative methods to validate the provisional programme, resulting in apartial explanation of the research phenomenon. The primary theoretical drive was inductive, asthe purpose was to discover rather than to test the learning programme contents.Botes' Research Model and King's Theory of Goal Attainment were utilised. They complementedeach other, as they both support a comprehensive, dynamic scientific approach to learning (health)outcomes influenced by the quality of nursing practice and practice environment.The research, which was outcomes–based, was carried out in the context of quality patient care(population health) and nursing practice situated within the Saudi Arabian setting, where thenursing regulatory system is emerging. As the questionnaire mean ( X ) results revealed scoresof 3.0 to 3.9, data saturation was achieved during the first round of the Delphi technique. Fourteenexperts from six different countries were asked to validate the provisional learning programme,which was duly done. The programme was implemented in a tertiary research hospital in SaudiArabia. Formative and summative evaluations were also conducted. The results of theimplementation and evaluation affirmed the effectiveness of the learning programme.Boyer's Model for Scholarship was used to triangulate the research findings. These results formedthe basis for the recommendations and final summary. The five broad recommendations thatemerged from the research were that nurses should take on self-regulatory and leadershipresponsibilities; that they should engage in continuing professional development collaboration; thatthe nursing profession's self-regulation responsibilities be acknowledged; that a healthy (quality)workplace environment be ensured; and that further research be done in this field.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University