Effectiveness of an adolescent healthcare training programme for enhancing paediatric nurses’ competencies

Aims and objectives To evaluate the effects of an educational intervention programme on improving paediatric nurses’ competencies in performing adolescent healthcare practice in central China. Background The WHO Adolescent Health Framework was integrated into this training programme to examine the effects of educational interventions on the competencies of paediatric nurses in promoting adolescent healthcare. This study is one of the first in central China to evaluate paediatric nurses’ competencies in promoting adolescent health. Design The study used a mixed‐method design with a quasi‐experimental approach and focus group interviews. Methods The study was conducted with 57 paediatric nurses from 28 institutes and hospitals in central China in 2010 to evaluate their competencies in adolescent health and development, specifically with regard to conducting needs assessments, planning effective interventions and evaluating outcome measures. The paediatric nurses received training and were assessed by individual and group work during the structured three‐week programme. Data were collected before and after the training programme as pre‐ and post‐tests. The researchers gathered information about their experiences by conducting focus group interviews. Results The paediatric nurses demonstrated significant improvements in their adolescent healthcare practice after attending the three‐week structured training programme. The post‐test scores had significant effects on the dimensions of the adolescent healthcare practice competency checklist. The qualitative data also showed positive and encouraging experiences and feedback from the paediatric nurses in this study. Conclusion The findings suggest that an educational intervention can change knowledge, attitudes and practice among paediatric nurses in adolescent healthcare. All the paediatric nurses in this study demonstrated increased competencies in carrying out adolescent healthcare practice after participating in the three‐week intensive intervention programme. Relevance to clinical practice This study showed that paediatric nurses have an important role in promoting and coordinating adolescent healthcare practice in primary healthcare practice.