Improving Rural Nurse Practitioner Knowledge About Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Through Continuing Education

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common androgen-excess disorder in reproductive-aged women, is often a missed diagnosis. Rural nurse practitioners (NPs) need to be able to diagnose and provide basic management for PCOS. This study's objective was to determine whether a continuing education program about PCOS would improve NPs' knowledge about PCOS. Method: A pretest- posttest design was used. Forty-eight participants attending a regional NP conference completed a pretest before a continuing education presentation about PCOS. Afterward, 43 participants completed an identical posttest. A two-step multivariate analysis of variance compared the results. Results: Pretest results indicated NPs had low levels of knowledge for assessing, diagnosing, and managing PCOS. The posttest results demonstrated significant (p = .000) improvements in these areas. Conclusion: Continuing education presentations have the potential to increase rural NPs' knowledge about PCOS so they can provide evidence-based care to rural women with PCOS.