Evaluation of an online learning package developed to support the COVID-19 response of nurses working in regional and atoll hospitals in the Maldives

Abstract

In the global crisis of COVID-19 pandemic and the unparalleled health emergency, nurses are the largest healthcare professional group providing frontline care in hospitals as well as other areas such as quarantine and isolation facilities. Additionally, due to the nurses’ vital role in the care and management of the COVID‑19 patients it is important that lifesaving information is delivered to them as well as other health professionals. Hence, School of Nursing (SN), Maldives National University (MNU) developed a short online learning course on nursing care of COVID‑19 patients as per the request of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Maldives. The aim of the research was to evaluate the online learning package developed in the Maldivian context for nurses with little or no previous knowledge and skills in the care of COVID‑19 patients. A cross sectional online questionnaire survey was used to collect data and an exploratory analysis was conducted. The quantitative findings showed that majority of nurses found the learning package more than satisfactory in each aspect evaluated. The overall consensus of the qualitative findings were the participants found learning online very helpful and informative. Therefore, the findings of this study can be considered as a useful baseline for developing short term online courses to address learning needs in emergency situations such as pandemics.