Zoom or in the room, meeting the stroke education standard

ABSTRACT

Background: Comprehensive Stroke Center nurses are required to receive 8 hours of stroke education annually;meeting this objective has been a challenge for administrators due to staffing shortages as well as the need to social distance during the COVID pandemic prompting virtual learning as a method to meet these standards. Web based courses often lack the multiplicity of diverse learning modalities needed for success. Purpose: Our objective was to provide a meaningful way to provide stroke education using the six perceptual modalities needed for adult learning which included visual, aural, printed, tactile, interactive, and kinesthetic learning. Methods: The stroke administrative team conducted a needs analysis based on nursing requests, outcome metrics, and requirements of the Joint Commission. A hybrid approach was delivered to the staff using four hours of classroom didactics, three hours of online classes, and one hour of education at hospital skills fairs, and unit meetings. Classrooms utilized social distancing, requiring multiple classes to be offered. Results: Nurses were surveyed with a 12 question Likert scale about how well they were prepared to integrate learned material into clinical practice comparing both virtual and live modalities. They were also asked about individual learning modalities. Twenty-five people responded to the survey. Only 12% of virtual learner respondents felt strongly prepared to care for stroke patients compared to 76% of classroom learners. Seventy-nine percent preferred classroom learning compared to 17% virtual, with a 4% hybrid preference. Learning preferences were multifactorial for visual, aural, printed, tactile, interactive, and kinesthetic learning being 95%, 48%, 56%, 40%, 11%, and 20% respectively. Conclusions: Virtual learning provides solutions in difficult situations, however classroom education is the preferred method of learning for healthcare professionals delivering evidenced based care for acute stroke patients. Planning committees should at least consider a hybrid approach that offer classroom time to caregivers.