| dc.description.abstract | Background: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and lifelong learning
are essential for nurses to keep up to date with innovations, technological
enhancements, and development in the healthcare sector to improve patient
outcomes and safety.
Objective: The study aimed to identify platforms, awareness, and barriers to
CPD and lifelong learning of nursing professionals at Cancer Hospital
(Apeksha), Maharagama, Sri Lanka.
Methods: A quantitative survey was conducted, and a self-administered
questionnaire was used to collect samples from April 2022 to February 2023.
Random sampling techniques were used to select the samples from the
population of nurses. The study sample size was 235, and only 200 nurses
responded.
Results: Descriptive statistics were calculated, and cross-tabulations were also
employed. The nursing professionals in the study setting are characterized by a
significant gender imbalance, with most nurses being female (86.5%) and males comprising a minority (13.5%). Most nurses have one to five years of experience,with just over a third (37.5%) having between one to ten years of experience.
Family responsibilities, poor physical health, and financial constraints were identified as the most common barriers to engaging in CPD. Workplace stress,lack of financial aid, lack of opportunities, leave issues, inflexible work hours,
and workload at the ward/unit were the most commonly agreed-upon
organizational barriers in CPD. Despite various channels for accessing CPD
activities, including colleagues and the workplace, a significant proportion of
respondents were not aware of opportunities and platforms through these
channels, highlighting the need for increased awareness and accessibility of CPD
opportunities.
Conclusion: CPD is crucial for nurses to grow their careers and improve their
knowledge and abilities. Main obstacles such as family obligations, financial
restraints, and occupational stress must be overcome to motivate nurses to
engage in CPD activities and foster professional progress. There should be a
proper mechanism to increase the awareness of CPD among nurses. | en_US |
