Blended Oncology Nursing Training: A Quality Initiative in East Africa

Abstract

Lack of education and awareness about cancer treatment may result in suboptimal care of patients with cancer. Unlike high-income countries, resource-limited countries lack the standardized training and scope of practice in oncology nursing. This quality improvement project was conducted to assess nurses' knowledge gain, retention of knowledge and clinical skill set, and feasibility of a blended learning approach in the care of adult oncology patients across four hospitals in Kenya and Tanzania. We used a combination of computer-led eLearning sessions and face-to-face interactions over 12 months for cancer education to oncology nurses. Pre- and posttests with each training session were combined with face-to-face clinical skills training at beginning and completion of the course. A comprehensive postassessment was conducted immediately after the training, and at 6, 9, and 12 months to evaluate knowledge gain and retention. Of 21 participants across four sites, there was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores for 12 participants (P value < .05). The mean pre- and posttest results found significant differences across 10 sessions individually and cumulatively (P value < .01). Results from a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) test on comprehensive test results suggested that there was no significant difference in knowledge retention across 9 months (F(2, 30) = 1.648412, P > .05). Blended learning is an effective tool in improving knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy for clinicians practicing in resource-limited countries. Developing a structured oncology training program has implications for bridging knowledge gaps among clinicians in resource-limited countries and promoting international knowledge exchange.