(VP055) HEALTH CARE STAFF LEARNING NEEDS REGARDING WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Friday, October 27, 2023
13:50 – 14:00 EST
Location: ePoster Screen 5
Disclosure(s):
Nazli Parast, RN: No financial relationships to disclose
Sandra Wong, MScN, RN, CCN(C), CNCC(C): No financial relationships to disclose
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women worldwide. However, there is still a significant gap in research, care and education about women's heart health. Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA), spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), and angina with non-obstructive coronary arteries (ANOCA) are more common in women than men. Additionally, symptoms and outcomes of heart disease are different in women, which can make the assessment and management of their condition more challenging. These discrepancies make the training and education of health care staff regarding women’s heart health imperative. However, to provide appropriate education, the organization must assess knowledge gaps, thus allowing for the development of a comprehensive education plan that bridges the learning needs.
METHODS AND RESULTS: To assess the learning needs for women’s heart health-related staff education in order to develop educational materials and sessions to improve staff, mainly nurses and allied health professionals, knowledge regarding the cardiovascular health of women.
A mixed survey including subjective and objective questions was sent out to all staff at our tertiary institute to complete. The participants were provided approximately 1 month to complete the survey.
Out of 246 survey participants, 59% were nurses, followed by 22% being allied health professionals. The remainder of participants were physicians, research, and administrative staff. The survey revealed there was a gap in staff knowledge pertaining to the identification of health conditions, symptoms, and risk factors regarding women’s heart health. The majority of staff (79%) noted that they have not received any specific education regarding women’s heart health, but 93% mentioned that they would be interested in receiving more education on this important topic.
Conclusion: After better understanding the staff needs, educational sessions were provided in nursing rounds, nurses week and a full day staff education day. These educational sessions will continue in future years. Additionally, more in-depth women’s heart health educational materials are in development to be embedded into the corporate training for all staff hired within the organization.
