PRE-Survey
POST-Survey
Interpretation of Results
A presentation on CHPN certification was given to ten nurses, including RNs and geriatric specialists. It is a three-stage project that included two types of testing, namely pre- and post-survey. Vital research interest was the transformation of response rates in specific categories before and after receiving information regarding CHPN certification. The “Strongly Agree” and “Agree” are positive responses and prevailed in both testing phases. However, the “Disagree” option was used in seven of the eight questions in the first phase of the survey. The most significant change was recorded in the sixth question, where 50% of the participants gave a definite answer at first, but then this figure rose to 80% after the presentation. Besides, an average of 39% of nurses chose “Strongly Agree” before receiving information versus 49% after this process. Thus, the project proved that healthcare professionals’ education is a dynamic structure and must be constant throughout the entire career.
Reflection
The project showed its feasibility due to the change in the numbers in the category of definite answers. CHPN is a specific area of activity as it requires compassion skills, emotional contact, and long-term patient care skills. This field needs a high level of responsibility for the well-being of the client, as maintaining an optimal standard of living until death is an ethically necessary process. In particular, this argument correlates with the fifth question due to the need for specialized training of nurses. It has been noted that CHPNs provide a pattern of behavior that is supportive for patients in the latter part of their life (Schroeder & Lorenz, 2018). The modest dynamics of improvement in two surveys showed that participants perceive palliative and hospice nursing as a critical part of the discipline for vulnerable populations. On the other hand, the overall feedback rate of “Disagree” dropped from 19% to 2%, suggesting that information courses are worthwhile. Thus, the project is successful because of the improvement in the frequency of positive responses to each of the questions.
A limited sample and various specialties of nursing is the gap of the project. Ten participants are an insufficient group to obtain relevant results, and the high risk of bias and subjectivity remains. The project’s barrier is the inability to collect profile data due to the wide range of licenses and areas of activity of nurses. For example, conducting a similar project in a larger group of specialists of the same or related positions could provide more applied data.
Implications for Future Practice
The project showed that nurses from various specialties are sufficiently aware of the value of certification for narrow profiles. CHPN certificates and accreditation of related specialties can be stereotyped due to the lack of educational programs. Nonetheless, the participants demonstrated sufficient awareness of the significance of CHPN in the healthcare sector and improved their results after the presentation. Thus, this project is an essential springboard for future practice as it demonstrates the need to develop more specialized educational programs for CHPN.
References
Hagan, T., Xu, J., Lopez, R., & Bressler, T. (2018). Nursing’s role in leading palliative care: A call to action. Nurse Education Today, 61, 216-219. Web.
Schroeder, K., & Lorenz, K. (2018). Nursing and the future of palliative care. Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, 5(1), 4-8. Web.