Skills and Learning Needs of Public Health Nurses in Family Nursing

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the skills of public health nurses（PHNs）and to examine the learning needs to enhance these skills in family nursing.

Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted in which 670 PHNs, who worked for government organizations, participated. The questionnaire of skills was developed by literature review and included demographic characteristics and learning needs to enhance these skills in family nursing. PHNs were asked for 18 skills in family nursing. As part of the investigation, PHNs voluntarily filed an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, which were separately returned by mail.

Result: Out of the 670 PHNs, 350 returned the questionnaire. Excluding the questionnaires from part-time PHNs, those from 317 PHNs were analyzed. Of these, 63.4% of PHNs noted skills that they wished to improve, and significantly, among PHNs there were novices（p < 0.01）, college graduates（p < 0.01）and experienced nurses（p < 0.05）. The average number of skills that PHNs wanted to improve was 6.53 ± 4.87; there were significant among PHNs in their twenties（p < 0.01）, novices（p < 0.01）and experienced nurses（p < 0.05）.

Conclusion: Novices and experienced nurses had significantly higher learning needs. Hence, we suggest that family nursing skills of PHNs is a professional practice that is acquired by practical experience in administrative agencies and that family nursing education at university and during the on-the-job-training is important.