Impact of an Animated Video as an Educational Tool Aimed to Improve General Practice Nurses’ Clinical Care for People Living With Dementia: A Mixed Methods Analysis

Abstract

Rationale: Lack of knowledge and skills is a barrier to the delivery of best-practice dementia care by nurses working in general practice. To impact clinical practice, education strategies need to be tailored to the target audience and the context in which new knowledge is to be used and should consider research-based theories of how people learn. Aim: To explore the value of an animation video as an education strategy and identify if, after viewing the animation, the GPN intends to change their dementia care clinical practice and, if yes, how. Methods: An animation video, informed by research findings, was developed as a tool to educate general practice nurses to identify and act on cognitive changes in their patients. Study participants were recruited through Australian general practice nursing social media networking sites. Qualitative and quantitative content analyses were used to analyze the responses to an online survey question: after viewing the animation, do you intend to change your clinical practice with regard to the care of people living with dementia? If participants responded “yes,” they were asked to describe how. Results: Sixty-one general practice nurses participated. Most nurses reported an intent to change their practice after viewing the animation video. These changes were categorized as “be more alert to change,” “find out more information,” and “follow up if you notice a change.” This suggests that animation may be a useful education tool for knowledge translation aimed at dementia care practice change among general practice nurses. Conclusion: The animation video was associated with an intention to change practice. Further research is needed, however, on the effectiveness of animation videos as an educational tool in supporting the translation of new dementia care knowledge into general practice nurses clinical practice.