Tumbwene Mwansisya1, Columba Mbekenga2, Kahabi Isangula2, Loveluck Mwasha2, Eunice Pallangyo2, Grace Edwards3, James Orwa4, Michaela Mantel4, Micheal Mugerwa5, Leonard Subi6, Secilia Mrema7, David Siso8, Edna Selestine5, Marleen Temmerman4. 1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, the Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. tumbwene.mwansisya@aku.edu. 2. School of Nursing and Midwifery, the Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 3. School of Nursing and Midwifery, the Aga Khan University, Kampala, Uganda. 4. Department of Population Health, the Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya. 5. Aga Khan Health Services, Mwanza, Tanzania. 6. Community Development, Ministry of Health, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dodoma, Tanzania. 7. Regional Reproductive and Child Health Coordinator, Mwanza, Tanzania. 8. Aga Khan Foundation, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Continuous professional development (CPD) has been reported to enhance healthcare workers' knowledge and skills, improve retention and recruitment, improve the quality of patient care, and reduce patient mortality. Therefore, validated training needs assessment tools are important to facilitate the design of effective CPD programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. Participants were healthcare workers in reproductive, maternal, and neonatal health (RMNH) from seven hospitals, 12 health centers, and 17 dispensaries in eight districts of Mwanza Region, Tanzania. The training needs analysis (TNA) tool that was used for data collection was adapted and translated into Kiswahili from English version of the Hennessy-Hicks' Training Need Analysis Questionnaire (TNAQ). RESULTS: In total, 153 healthcare workers participated in this study. Most participants were female 83 % (n = 127), and 76 % (n = 115) were nurses. The average age was 39 years, and the mean duration working in RMNH was 7.9 years. The reliability of the adapted TNAQ was 0.954. Assessment of construct validity indicated that the comparative fit index was equal to 1. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted TNAQ appears to be reliable and valid for identifying professional training needs among healthcare workers in RMNH settings in Mwanza Region, Tanzania. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to test the use of the TNAQ in broader healthcare systems and settings.
BACKGROUND: Continuous professional development (CPD) has been reported to enhance healthcare workers' knowledge and skills, improve retention and recruitment, improve the quality of patient care, and reduce patientmortality. Therefore, validated training needs assessment tools are important to facilitate the design of effective CPD programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. Participants were healthcare workers in reproductive, maternal, and neonatal health (RMNH) from seven hospitals, 12 health centers, and 17 dispensaries in eight districts of Mwanza Region, Tanzania. The training needs analysis (TNA) tool that was used for data collection was adapted and translated into Kiswahili from English version of the Hennessy-Hicks' Training Need Analysis Questionnaire (TNAQ). RESULTS: In total, 153 healthcare workers participated in this study. Most participants were female 83 % (n = 127), and 76 % (n = 115) were nurses. The average age was 39 years, and the mean duration working in RMNH was 7.9 years. The reliability of the adapted TNAQ was 0.954. Assessment of construct validity indicated that the comparative fit index was equal to 1. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted TNAQ appears to be reliable and valid for identifying professional training needs among healthcare workers in RMNH settings in Mwanza Region, Tanzania. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to test the use of the TNAQ in broader healthcare systems and settings.