Effectiveness of asthma principles and practice course in increasing nurse practitioner knowledge and confidence in the use of asthma clinical guidelines

The use of blended learning to improve health professionals' communication skills: a literature review

Background and aim of the work:

In recent years, health professionals’ education has moved towards the increasing use of blended learning. One of the most widespread blended formulas is the mix of face-to-face and online learning, which combines the advantages of distance learning, both in training provision and in training fruition, with the maintenance of socialization goals and application to practice activities. This literature review aims to find out whether blended-learning is employed for improving health professionals’ communication skills and which are its outcomes.

Methods:

Literature review of publications released from January 2000 to January 2019 was conducted across the academic databases Cinahl (EBSCO), Cochrane and Pubmed using relevant keywords.

Results:

Research has shown that blended learning is used in the education of different health professionals (students, nurses, physicians, etc.) at various stages of the educational path. The enhancement of communication skills appears to be a secondary learning objective in many studies, but it is shown to be nevertheless central to the proper acquisition and application of more clinical skills addressed by the blended courses. The blended modules here examined achieved their goals. However, the evaluation of the learning outcomes is still based on self-assessment, and thus needs to be implemented.

Conclusions:

Blended learning providers would need to pay more attention in the design and implementation phases of blended modules, assessing participants’ needs and offering more tailored and targeted programs, and should provide a more rigorous evaluation of learning outcomes. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Improving Awareness, Identification, and Management of Sarcopenic Obesity in Cancer Survivors: An Evidence-Based Toolbox

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenic obesity, the dual condition of decreased muscle mass with increased fat mass, can affect morbidity, mortality, and quality of life in adult cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this project was to determine the effects of the use of an educational toolbox on advanced practice nurses' (APNs') confidence in identifying and managing adult cancer survivors at risk for sarcopenic obesity.

METHODS

APNs in an outpatient practice who care for adult cancer survivors received an educational toolbox with strategies to identify and manage adult cancer survivors at risk for sarcopenic obesity.

FINDINGS

APNs reported being more confident in their ability to identify adult patients with cancer at risk for sarcopenic obesity and in their ability to manage these patients compared to prior to the intervention. Educational resources provided an effective tool for identifying and managing patients at risk for sarcopenic obesity.