Increasing Research Skills in Rural Health Boards

An Evaluation of a Training Program from Western Newfoundland

Authors

  • Maria Mathews Division of Community Health & Humanities Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Anne Lynch Western Regional Integrated Health Authority, Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.22.003

Abstract

Rural health boards face barriers to increasing evaluation skills, such as fewer opportunities for continuing education and limited access to training resources. In this project, we set out to develop and evaluate a research skills training program suitable for a rural health board. Participants attended five one-day workshops in their home region and completed a research project with ongoing mentoring from their instructor. Post-workshop surveys found that the workshops were highly rated (mean: 4.5 out of 5). We surveyed participants before and after the training. We did not find an increase in participants’ knowledge scores but found significant increases in self-rated ability to carry out research tasks. Qualitative data suggest that, while most staff were familiar with research terminology, application-focused training was beneficial.

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Published

2007-11-21

How to Cite

Mathews, M., & Lynch, A. (2007). Increasing Research Skills in Rural Health Boards: An Evaluation of a Training Program from Western Newfoundland. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 22(2), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.22.003

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 2 (2007): Fall

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2007 Maria Mathews, Anne Lynch

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