Authors (including presenting author) :
Ms Wong SL(1), Ms Wong KY(3), Dr Law SK(2), Dr Tse PY(2), Ms Lee MY(1), Ms Au LT(2), Ms Wong KY(2), Dr Chan WW(2)
Affiliation :
1. Kowloon East Cluster Breast Centre 2. Department of Surgery, United Christian Hospital 3. Nursing Services Division, United Christian Hospital
Introduction :
The increasing incidence of breast cancer cases necessitates consistent, high-quality patient care to meet the rising demands. Concurrently, the high turnover rate among nursing staff in surgical wards presents challenges that adversely affect both patient care and team effectiveness. In December 2023, an online training need survey was launched, revealing that over 77.5% of surgical nurses expressed an interest in the breast cancer management and 54.9% of nurses preferred benign disease management, other high priority topics included postoperative care, lymphedema management, and breast abscess/mastitis treatment. For the training mode, 52.1% of nurses preferred hand-on workshop, 29.6% of nurses preferred on-line modules, 18.3% of nurses preferred coaching. Thus, a Specialty Multimodal Approach Breast Education Program has been established to enhance staff knowledge and engagement, thereby addressing gaps in experience and competence.
Objectives :
1. To increase and consolidate staff knowledge on breast care in training program 2. To follow the feedback of nurses on Breast Team Ward Round coaching and journal club sharing sessions
Methodology :
The training program was conducted from January to December 2024 in the surgical department at United Christian Hospital. The target participants were surgical nurses. The program included: 1. Four face-to-face/Zoom lectures 2. Breast Team Ward Round coaching weekly 3. Journal club sharing sessions led by a Nurse Consultant (NC) or Associate Nurse Consultant (ANC) bi-monthly Before the lectures, participants completed a five-question multiple-choice test to assess their baseline knowledge. Breast specialists and breast care nurses provided four classes using a combination of in-person and Zoom lectures. Upon completion of the program, participants were to complete a five-question multiple-choice test for their understanding.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 80 surgical nurses attended the training lessons. Overall comments were highly positive, indicating a high level of satisfaction among attendees, with an average score exceeding 5.5 out of 6. From the pre-quiz and post-quiz results, surgical nurse’s weakness on the topics and get improvement after the lecture: • Indication and contraindication for BCT (60% to 83.3%) • Management of fibroadenomas (37.5% to 60.2%) • Cause of gynecomastia (59.4% to 83.7%) • Suspicious nipple discharge (56.3% to 93.9%) • Knowledge of Phyllodes tumor (59.4% to 63.3%) • Risk factors for developing breast cancer (7.4% to 40.5%) • Key performance index (KPI) of breast cancer operation in HA hospital (24.7% to 94%) • Management for upper limb lymphedema (13.8% to 51.6%) Among the 80 nurses who completed the knowledge assessment, the percentage change between the pre-test and post-test was greater than 28%. This significant improvement suggests that knowledge was effectively conveyed to the participants, enhancing their understanding of breast cancer, benign disease, and related care. The feedback regarding the Breast Team Ward Round coaching and journal club sharing sessions was also positive, with participants finding these components useful and practical. All participants acknowledged the effectiveness of the comprehensive breast training program in enhancing staff competence and fostering greater interest in the breast specialty. Conclusion: Intensive Multimodal Approach Breast Education Program is effective to consolidate the breast care knowledge and apply in clinical area.
