       Document 0351
 DOCN  M9440351
 TI    Practice nurses: characteristics, workload and training needs.
 DT    9404
 AU    Ross FM; Bower PJ; Sibbald BS; Division of General Practice, St George's
       Hospital Medical; School, London.
 SO    Br J Gen Pract. 1994 Jan;44(378):15-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94145721
 AB    AIM. This study set out to identify the present and future training
       needs of practice nurses in South West Thames Regional Health Authority
       and to examine these needs within the nurses' current and changing
       workloads and social, educational and occupational profiles. METHOD. A
       questionnaire was sent to 899 practice staff identified by family health
       services authority records whose salaries were in part reimbursed and in
       whose job title the word nurse appeared. The questionnaire enquired
       about personal and practice demography, tasks and activities currently
       undertaken, perceived role development and training requirements, and
       preferred organization of training. RESULTS. A total of 620 completed
       questionnaires were returned (69%). Nurses' work involved treatments,
       immunizations investigations, administration, first contact with
       patients, support to the general practitioner and health promotion. The
       areas of role development selected most commonly by nurses were
       counselling skills (60%) and health promotion (54%); in terms of
       training the most popular areas were communication skills (62%) and the
       theory and practice of health promotion (48%). Fewer than one third of
       the nurses who were engaged in health checks for elderly people or the
       provision of diabetes care, asthma care or advice about the human
       immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome
       (AIDS) held an appropriate qualification. CONCLUSION. Practice nurses in
       the region were engaged in a wide range of activities for which many
       have had little formal training; the majority wished to develop their
       role and undertake further training. If practice nurses are to play a
       key part in the development of primary care services they must be
       adequately prepared for their clinical and health promotion role.
 DE    Education, Nursing, Continuing  England  Family Practice/*MANPOWER
       Human  Nursing Staff/*STATISTICS & NUMER DATA  Professional
       Practice/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Workload
       JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

