The Effectiveness of an e-Learning Program to Improve Pressure Ulcer Classification by Nurses

Background: Classification of pressure ulcers by staff nurses is a necessary practice. To perform accurate classification of these ulcers, education and training is needed. Most of this training is delivered through traditional teaching strategies but nowadays there is an increasing shift towards electronic methods. The effect of e-learning programs on users’ knowledge and skills, especially in the field of pressure ulcer classification, is still under investigation. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an e-learning program on enhancing nurses’ skills in PU classification. Design: A quasi-experimental design. Methods: Nurses participated in a specialized training courses at one branch of the Jordanian nurses and midwifery Council invited to take part. Those who agreed to participate were assigned randomly to an experimental group (n=119), and a control group (n=120). Nurses in the control group attended a traditional lecture about pressure ulcer classification, and those in the experimental group received an e-learning educational program about the same topic. Both groups were requested to perform a pre-test, and after the training they completed a post-test of identical contents. Results: The nurses’ pressure ulcer classification skills were insufficient at the pre-test stage. Both types of teaching improved these poor skills, with e-learning demonstrated to be more effective, as results for the experimental group showed statistical significance (M=16.1, SD=1.59) compared to those for the control group (M=10.4, SD=1.44) (p=0.03). Conclusion: Jordanian nurses’ pressure ulcer classification skills were lacking. The use of the E-learning program was more effective than the standard teaching method in improving subjects’ skills of pressure ulcer classification.