CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF NURSES AND ICNP® INTRODUCTION IN POLAND

Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore Polish nurses' readiness to use the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP (R)) as part of continuous professional development and life-long learning. Material and Methods: The study included 772 nurses, divided into 2 study groups. The first group comprised those who had participated in a course enhancing the knowledge and improving skills in the use of ICNP (R) terminology (N = 457). The second group comprised people who had not yet attended such a course (N = 315). Results: In the pre-course group, education correlated significantly with a general knowledge of ICNP (R) and its components, as the answers to 9 out of 13 questions revealed (p > 0.05). In the post-course group, such a correlation was observed in the answers to all the questions except the following: "Is it possible to implement ICNP (R) in your place of work?" (rho = 0.066, p = 0.137). Statistically significant differences were found when it comes to the correlation of all 13 questions and the results with the overall level of knowledge of ICNP (R). A higher level of agreement with the questions and a higher level of knowledge were observed in the post-course group. However, this did not apply to the following question: "Is it possible to implement ICNP (R) in your place of work?" (Z = -0.06, p = 0.955, r = 0.002). Conclusions: Effective pre- and postgraduate education prepares nurses for working with ICNP (R) terminology. In fact, IT tools, implemented into the education process, could help to develop skills and the understanding of how nurses can use ICNP (R) in the nursing process. There are some obvious difficulties with the practical implementation of ICNP into clinical practice.