Using an Electronic Needs Assessment to Develop Unit-based Education Plans

Abstract

<p>&lt;b&gt;Problem: &lt;/b&gt;In previous years, formal Educational Needs Assessments were conducted by individual Unit-based Educators utilizing various formats of paper based surveys asking &ldquo;What kind of topics would you like education on?&rdquo; These surveys tended to result in long lists of topics offering limited insight into the educational priorities of team members and little correlation to Quality Improvement Directives. In addition, few paper surveys were completed and returned.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Approach/Method:&lt;/b&gt; Following formation of a Medical Center based Clinical Education Team in 2014, a process to formalize and standardize the annual Educational Needs Assessment into a single consolidated assessment was developed. Fifteen assessment questions were compiled and refined from multiple past assessments and industry best practice information. Anonymous information collected included demographics on specific job role, department, unit, and patient population. This information allowed for detailed reporting information post assessment. Utilizing the same assessment questions across all unit and patient populations allowed for the prioritizing of Medical Center and department specific data and needs. In addition, utilizing an electronic based assessment allowed for multiple methods of delivery (Email, QR Code, and LMS) to reach the maximum number of target participants.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Outcomes:&lt;/b&gt; Refining this process over the last three years has resulted in buy-in and support from the entire Clinical Education Team and Unit Nurse Managers. Furthermore, the online and electronic format of the assessment has resulted in significant annual increases in response rates, with more effective education for team members.</p>