EJEL Volume 5 Issue 4
February 2008

Web-Based Learning in Practice Settings: Nurses’ Experiences and Perceptions of Impact on Patient Care

Lesley Lockyer, Pam Moule and Deirdre McGuigan
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

This research was initially carried out as a mixed methods study, incorporating questionnaires, qualitative research interviews and focus groups to identify how and what education resources could be accessed for nurses caring for patients with oesophageal cancer in the surgical setting. There are few courses specific to the care of patients with oesophageal cancer. CancerNursing.Org, an independent company with charitable status, has created e-learning packages which cover the essential knowledge and skills necessary to prepare registered nurses caring for patients with oesophageal cancer as well as many other subjects in the cancer field.

This paper presents an analysis and evaluation of the qualitative research interviews and focus groups that took place in two groups of hospitals in the United Kingdom. Eight qualified nurses caring for patients with gastro-intestinal cancer in general surgical wards took part in this part of the study. The study explored the nurses’ experiences of using the online programme and their perceptions of the impact of learning on patient care delivery.

The eight nurses volunteered to complete the online open source package www.cancernursing.org and gave their consent to take part in either focus group discussions or individual interviews six weeks after completing the package. Two of the participants experienced difficulties and failed to complete the package. Following re-application to the research ethics committee a focus group was conducted with these two staff.

Analysis of the transcripts identified a number of issues for those considering the adoption of such modes of delivery within healthcare. The six nurses who completed the package as well as the two who failed to complete the package referred to issues such as a lack of information technology skills and competence in computer use, access issues, organizational barriers and lack of protected study time. In spite of the difficulties they encountered, the six nurses who completed the package gave examples of how their learning had impacted on patient care.

Keywords: online learning, cancer care, nursing education, workplace learning, qualitative research

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