Factors associated with the effectiveness of continuing education in long-term care

Purpose: This article examines factors within the long-term-care work environment that impact the effectiveness of continuing education. Design & Methods: In Study 1, focus group interviews were conducted with staff and management from urban and rural long-term-care facilities in southwestern Ontario to identify their perceptions of the workplace factors that affect transfer of learning into practice. Thirty-five people were interviewed across six focus groups. In Study 2, a Delphi technique was used to refine our list of factors. Consensus was achieved in two survey rounds involving 30 and 27 participants, respectively. Results: Management support was identified as the most important factor impacting the effectiveness of continuing education. Other factors included resources (staff, funding, space) and the need for ongoing expert support. Implications: Organizational support is necessary for continuing education programs to be effective and ongoing expert support is needed to enable and reinforce learning.