Putting educational theory into clinical practice

Abstract

Changing the clinical practice of healthcare staff is an extremely difficult task, and it is often assumed that providing information on a topic will lead to knowledge gain and practice improvement. However, this assumption is flawed, with many studies demonstrating that although knowledge can be achieved via provision of training, it does not usually result in sustained behaviour change.1,2 Provision of information via mandatory infection control training is a core component of the current UK national focus to reduce infection.3,4 There is little evidence for the effectiveness of mandatory training in general, and even less evidence on the effectiveness of mandatory infection control training. Some work has been published on the effectiveness of mandatory training in improving knowledge, but it has not investigated the impact on practice and patient care, nor does it relate specifically to infection control.5,6 Therefore, infection prevention practitioners must not rely on mandatory training to deliver practice improvement.