Assessment of rehabilitation nurses' knowledge and results of nurse educational programme (C2F) regarding osteoporosis and fragility fractures

Background

Providing adequate care for the person with a fragility fracture is essential to prevent recurrences. A key strategy involves training by improving nursing care in the fields of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. However, in Portugal, there is no report on the level of knowledge of nurses, nor experimental studies on how to improve it.

Objective

The study aimed to assess the knowledge of Rehabilitation Nurses in Portugal on osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Additionally, it sought to evaluate the impact of a specific educational programme on nurses' knowledge.

Methods

In Phase I, a cross-sectional study involved 452 participants, utilizing a 26-question knowledge test. In Phase II, a quasi-experimental study included 42 nurses from 28 hospitals, subjected to a 30-h hybrid educational programme. The program comprised 9 online (2 h 30 min each) and 2 live sessions, covering assessment, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, monitoring, project planning, consultations, and outcome indicators measurement. A before-and-after programme knowledge test was administered.

Results

Phase I revealed an average knowledge score of 69.6%. In Phase II, there was a significant improvement with programme (70.4% vs. 85.8%, p < 0.01). Specialized nurses performed better than non-specialized nurses (80% vs. 75%, p = 0.011), and those from orthopaedic services showed the greatest improvement (92% vs. 83%, p = 0.014).

Conclusions

Rehabilitation Nurses in Portugal have room to improve their knowledge of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. The hybrid educational programme proved effective in improving nurses' knowledge, especially among specialist and orthopaedic service nurses. We hope that this knowledge can be translated into continuous improvement in healthcare provision.