Articles

Our training products were validated through extensive pilot and field testing with long-term care staff nationwide. Results are available in peer-reviewed journals such as: The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, Educational Gerontology, and Nurse Education Today.

Injury Prevention for Older Adults

• Using CBT and the Web to provide injury prevention training
• The usefulness of computer-based instruction in providing educational opportunities for nursing staff
• Computer-based and instructor-led injury prevention training for board and care staff

Fire Safety for Skilled Nursing Facilities

• Can nursing facility staff with minimal education be successfully trained with computer-based training?
• The effects of computer-based training on immediate and residual learning of nursing facility staff
• Is computer-based instruction an effective way to present fire safety training to long-term care staff
• A comparison of computer-based and instructor-led training for long-term care staff

Fire Safety for Small Residential Care (Assisted Living) Facilities

• The effects of computer-based fire safety training on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers

Ergonomics for Long-Term Care Facility Managers

• Teaching ergonomics to nursing facility managers using computer-based instruction

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Injury Prevention for Older Adults

Walker, B.L., & Harrington, S.S. (2008). Using CBT and the Web to provide injury prevention training. Educational Gerontology, 34(8).
Abtract: This study investigated the effects of 10 injury prevention computer-based training modules tested by 120 participants from 65 facilities that provide care or support to elderly people needing long-term care. The training was delivered either on CD-ROM or at a Web site. A repeated measures analysis was performed with module scores on a pretest and posttest. The main effect of time was significant, demonstrating that participants scored higher at posttest. The main effect of module was also significant, suggesting that participants performed at significantly different levels on various modules. Evaluation results found that participants were strongly positive about the training content and delivery method. After the initial training, a 3-month follow-up study was conducted with 4 of the modules with 71 (59.2%) of the original participants. Gains continued to be significant for the 4 tested modules as compared to control groups. [top]

Walker, B.L., Harrington, S.S. & Cole, C. (2006). The usefulness of computer-based instruction in providing educational opportunities for nursing staff. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 22(3), 144-149.
Abstract: Computer-based (CB) instruction offers an alternative method for healthcare facilities to provide in service training to the staff. The authors investigated CB instruction as a way to provide information on preventing suicide and depression, adverse medication events, foodborne illness, and burns and scalds to people who care for older adults. The study compared the effects of CB instruction with those of equivalent instructor-led (IL) workshops. Each group of learners significantly improved knowledge related to the topic presented. The CB and IL versions of the modules produced similar results. The participants enjoyed using the computers and found the program easy to use. The authors concluded that CB instruction can be an effective alternative method of providing educational opportunities and is a convenient and cost-effective way to provide those opportunities to nursing staff.[top]

Walker, B.L., & Harrington, S.S. (2003). Computer-based and instructor-led injury prevention training for board and care staff. Educational Gerontology, 29(6), 475-491.
Abstract: Board and care owners and administrators must find new and innovative ways to meet the training needs of those on their staffs. The authors investigated computer-based instruction as a way to teach injury prevention techniques to these care providers. A computer-based (CB) training program was used that had been adapted from a print-based/instructor-led (IL) program. This article discusses the effectiveness of the CB training as compared to the effectiveness of the traditional IL format. The CB and IL versions of a prevention training program were presented to board and care staff during five sessions. The 78 participants were randomly assigned to either the CB or IL groups. Both the CB and IL groups significantly increased their knowledge scores from pretest to posttest. The CB participants reported that they enjoyed the training and had no difficulty using the computers, even though some of them had never used a computer previously for any activity. Computer-based training can be an effective alternative training technique for this population.[top]

Fire Safety for Skilled Nursing Facilities

Walker, B.L., & Harrington, S.S. (2004). Can nursing facility staff with minimal education be successfully trained with computer-based training? Nurse Education Today, 24, 301-309.
Abtract: This study compares the effects of computer-based and instructor-led training on long-term care staff with a high school education or less on fire safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Findings show that both methods of instruction were effective in increasing staff tests scores from pre- to posttest. Scores of both groups were lower at follow-up three months later but continued to be higher than at pretest. Staff with a high school education increased scores more than those without a high school diploma. [top]

Harrington, S.S. & Walker, B.L. (2004a). The effects of computer-based training on immediate and residual learning of nursing facility staff. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, (35)4,154-163.
Abtract: Nursing facility administrators must find new and innovative ways to meet the training needs of their staff. In this article, researchers discuss the effectiveness of computer-based training compared with the traditional instructor-led format. The computer-based and instructor-led versions of a fire safety training program were presented to staff of nine nursing facilities. Participants (N = 1,294) were randomly assigned to the computer-based or instructor-led groups. Both groups significantly increased their scores from pretest to posttest. The computer-based group significantly outperformed the instructor-led group on the knowledge subtest at posttest. Participants reported that they enjoyed the computer-based training and had no difficulty using the computers. The researchers concluded that computer-based training can be an effective and efficient alternative training technique. [top]

Harrington, S.S., & Walker, B.L. (2003). Is computer-based instruction an effective way to present fire safety training to long-term care staff. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 19(3), 147-154.
Abstract: This study offers evidence that computer-based instruction is a feasible and effective alternative training method for long-term care staff. Participants were 289 nursing facility staff randomly divided into two treatment groups. One group completed instructor-led (IL) fire safety training and the other completed computer-based (CB) training adapted from the IL version. Both the CB and IL groups significantly increased their scores from pre- to posttest. Differences between the two groups were not significant.[top]

Harrington, S.S., & Walker, B.L. (2002). A comparison of computer-based and instructor-led training for long-term care staff. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 33(1), 39-45.
Abstract: Nursing facility administrators must find new and innovative ways to meet the training needs of their staff. The authors faced the challenge of teaching nursing facility staff about fire safety using computer-based training that had been adapted from a print-based/instructor-led (IL) program. This article discusses the effectiveness of the computer-based (CB) training as compared to the effectiveness of the traditional IL format. The CB and IL versions of a fire safety training program were presented to staff of a nursing facility. The 141 participants were randomly assigned to the CB, IL, or control groups. The control group completed a pretest and posttest, but received no training until the study was completed. Both the CB and IL groups significantly increased their knowledge scores from pretest to posttest and both significantly outperformed the control group. How the participants responded to the CB training was also important. Staff reported they enjoyed the CB training and had no difficulty using the computers. Computer-based training can be an effective alternative training technique for this population.[top]

Fire Safety for Small Residential Care (Assisted Living) Facilities

Harrington, S.S., & Walker, B.L. (in press). The effects of computer-based fire safety training on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing.
Abtract: Older adults in small residential board and care facilities are at a particularly high risk of fire death and injury because of their characteristics and environment. The authors investigated computer-based instruction as a way to teach fire emergency planning to owners, operators, and staff of small residential board and care facilities. Participants (N = 59) were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Study participants who completed the training significantly improved their scores from pre- to posttest when compared to a control group. Participants indicated on the course evaluation that the computers were easy to use for training (97%) and that they would like to use computers for future training courses (97%). This study demonstrates the potential for using interactive computer-based training as a viable alternative to instructor-led training to meet the fire safety training needs of owners, operators, and staff of small board and care facilities for the elderly. [top]

Ergonomics for Long-Term Care Facility Managers

Harrington, S.S., & Walker, B.L. (2006). Teaching ergonomics to nursing facility managers using computer-based instruction. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 22(5), 260-268.
Abtract: This study offers evidence that computer-based training is an effective tool for teaching nursing facility managers about ergonomics and increasing their awareness of potential problems. Study participants (N = 45) were randomly assigned into a treatment or control group. The treatment group completed the ergonomics training and a pre- and posttest. The control group completed the pre- and posttests without training. Treatment group participants improved significantly from 67% on the pretest to 91% on the posttest, a gain of 24%. Differences between mean scores for the control group were not significant for the total score or for any of the subtests. [top]