Assessment of online continuing dental education in North Carolina.

BACKGROUND: Dental professionals are discovering the unique advantages of asynchronous lifelong learning through continuing dental education (CDE) opportunities offered online. The purpose of this study was to evaluate both the process and outcomes of online CDE in North Carolina. The assessment was designed to provide a better understanding of practicing dental professionals experiences with online CDE and to determine the effectiveness of this learning strategy. METHODS: Dental professionals from four North Carolina Area Health Education Centers regions evaluated two pilot online CDE modules in 1998. Thirty-one participants were recruited and subsequently enrolled with 23 completing at least one module. Each module included objectives, a multiple-choice pretest, interactive core material, and a post-test. Participants completed three online surveys measuring individual demographics and computer skill level, module design, and use and overall reaction to online learning. RESULTS: Most participants agreed that the modules were comprehensive, were pleasing in appearance, provided clear instructions, provided adequate feedback, and were easy to navigate. Most participants agreed that knowledge of the material increased. This was validated by a significant increase in mean pre- to post-test scores (p = .0001). Participants agreed that convenience was a definite advantage, and they would choose online courses again to meet their CDE needs. The least-liked aspects included technical and formatting issues. IMPLICATIONS: Participants were enthusiastic about online learning and learned effectively with this teaching strategy, but desired much more interactivity than existed in the current design.

Quality of life and productivity in nurses reporting migraine.

A random sample survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of migraine in nurses and to study its effect on quality of life and productivity. Of the 10,000 nurses sampled, 2949 returned the questionnaire for a response rate of 29.5% The majority (99%) of respondents were employed and worked in hospitals (60%). According to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria, 17% of the sample (n=495) were classified as having migraine. An additional 25% (n = 750) suffered severe headaches but did not meet IHS criteria for migraine, and the remaining 58% (n = 1704) were classified as not having either migraine or severe headaches. The migraineurs had significantly reduced work productivity and quality of life compared to both the severe headache and the nonmigraine nonsevere headache groups. This study will increase awareness and sensitivity of the profession to its colleagues who are migraine sufferers.

Challenges for nursing administration educators.

The council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing (CGEAN) was established to further develop and improve graduate education for administration in nursing. The council seeks to identify the nature and direction of education for administration in nursing in various healthcare systems, providing guidelines for programs offering administration. A major goal of CGEAN is facilitating dialogue between nursing service administrators and graduate level educators who are engaged in teaching and research related to administration in nursing. This column, sponsored by the members of the Council analyzes and responds to position statements and trends related to the delivery of health services and graduate education for administrators in nursing.

Patient outcomes and nurses' classification data.

The patient classifications done by nurses for all adult patients (n = 15,500) discharged from an urban teaching hospital in one year were retrieved and analyzed by discharge status. Classification results were summarized by physical-functional, psychological-social, and dependence categories and were associated with discharge disposition; patients discharged home were less dependent than others discharged to nursing homes or those who died in the hospital. Diagnosis related group (DRG) payment weights were somewhat independent of the patient classification scores and were not associated with adverse outcomes.

Knowledge and skills for nurse administrators.

How should nurse administrators be educated for practice in today's complex environment? Mark, Turner, and Englebardt provide a thoughtful perspective on that question. The authors analyze the educational needs of two levels: the nurse executive and the nurse manager, and they look at all aspects of an effective graduate program for both career choices.