Front Line Nurse Managers’ Attitudes And Perceived Barriers Towards Continuous Education In Nursing; Sri Lanka

Abstract Continuous education is a vital factor which contributes towards the professional development in nursing and it is directly associated with the health of a country. Continuous education is essential to maintain and improve the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nurses and provide better health care. The objective of this study was to assess the attitudes and perceived barriers towards continuous education in nursing among the front-line nurse managers in Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 555 front line nurse managers in Sri Lanka using a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. SPSS 25 version was used as the data analysis tool. Thirty-one special grade nursing officers and 524 grade 1 nursing officers participated in this study. The majority (73%) had more than 20 years of working experience as a nursing professional. Most of the nurse managers were diploma holders (83%), 3% undergraduates, 14% graduates, and 1% were reading for Masters. Attitudes towards continuous education were good among all the nurse managers, while 92% were willing to continue their education. The majority (96%) has perceived that continuous education is vital for professional development in nursing, and 91% has stated that the opportunities and facilities for continuous education and nursing research should be improved. The attitudes borne by the front line nurse managers towards continuous education, were considered to have been very positive. Further, continuous education was perceived by them as a vital part of professional development. Therefore, it could be surmised that the opportunities and facilities for continuous education and research on continuous nursing education should be improved in order to facilitate the provision of better health care. Keywords: Continuous Education, Nurse Managers, Attitudes