Training Needs Assessment for Nurses in Sennar State, Sudan: Cross Sectional Study (1)

Abstract

Continuous professional development for all health care providers including nurses is vital to be updated and able to provide quality services. All types of continuing professional development programs are often described as a cycle. This cycle is composed of interrelated components that are the steps of a systematic process, usually starting with identifying learning needs and ending with assessing learning and training evaluation. Training Needs Assessment (TNA) is a method to determine performance gaps, and what training is required to fill in these gaps. Appropriate use of TNA can prevent unnecessary spending on improper, inefficient, and/or ill-targeted training programs, and maintain more focus on the real needs. It also helps save time and resources. The following paper will address the issue of TNA and its accompanying paper will consider the issue of training evaluation in Sudan. The study overall objective was to assess training needs among nurses in Sennar and Singa hospital and to compare the results. Specific objectives were: to identify training needs from viewpoint of nurses, doctors and sisters as well as to develop need-based training module. It was descriptive cross sectional study. A total of 173 nurses, 15 sisters and 13 doctors participated in the need assessment survey. Survey results showed that most of nurses had not attended any in-service training. There were clear gaps in equipment using, task performance, communication and ethical issues. The most important training needs were infection control, communication, ethics, and nursing emergency. Infection control training manual was developed accordingly. There were real and conceptual training needs for nurses identified by nurses, sisters and doctors. All of these training gaps and needs should be considered in the development of future training modules for nurses in Sennar State. In the future, continuous professional development should be promoted through sound evidence-based planning, which means that TNA must be an activity that precedes the preparation and implementation of training programs. Delivering training with the career path so that each nurse has the training opportunity is also strongly recommended as well as fair distribution of training opportunities in the state.