Objective: To audit the training program for PD community home care nurses for the period from Nov 2015 to Dec 2018.

Background: To better support Parkinson disease (PD) patients in the community, a trained PD nurse from a tertiary hospital has been providing home care to PD patients to enhance co-ordination of care in the community. In view of the increasing patient load, training home care nurses from community-based organizations with relevant PD knowledge and management skills is imperative to enable such care to be provided at the community level.  Participants of our training program would be equipped through specialist clinic attachments, home visit attachments, PD symposium attendance, e-learning program, monthly multi-disciplinary rounds and provision of a PD reference book.

Method: Multiple choice question (MCQ) assessment was administered pre and post-training to analyse if participants’ PD knowledge improved after the training program.  The MCQ assessment comprised 25 questions on Parkinson knowledge with one mark allocated for each correct answer.  A program evaluation questionnaire was also administered to participants after completion of the training.

Results: A total of 24 registered nurses were trained under this program. 17 Nurses completed both pre and post-MCQs, while 18 participants completed the evaluation forms. The mean score for the MCQ pre-test was 15.47 (SD ± 1.42) and post-test was 19.35(SD±2.42). Participants significantly improved in their PD knowledge after training (P<0.001). Of the 18 evaluations received on the training program, 17 (94%) agreed that the content of the training was relevant to their clinical practice, 17 (94%) felt that the training program was effective, 16 (89%) agreed that home-visit attachments were relevant, and 16 (89%) felt that there were opportunities for hands-on practice. The majority (17, 94%) acknowledged that the trainer was knowledgeable and demonstrated expertise in PD. 17 (94%) participants felt that they had a better understanding on PD management, while 16 (89%) participants felt confident to manage PD patients in their practice.

Conclusion: Overall, this training program was beneficial to the participants and was successful in expanding the pool of community care nurses who provide care to PD patients.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/community-home-care-nurses-training-for-parkinson-disease/