Training needs of professional nurses in primary health care in the Cape Metropole, South Africa

Background: In the fast-changing healthcare environment, it is important to ensure that primary health care (PHC) nurses are suitably qualified and have access to appropriate and relevant ongoing education. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the training needs of professional nurses working in PHC facilities. Setting: The research was conducted in PHC facilities in the Cape Metropole, Western Cape, South Africa. Methods: A quantitative descriptive survey with all-inclusive sampling was used. All professional nurses (N = 303), employed for at least a minimum of 6 months in PHC facilities were included in the study. The Hennessy-Hicks Training Needs Analysis (TNA) questionnaire was used to collect the data on professional tasks training needs and open-ended questions for specific PHC contextual training needs. Importance and performance means for each of the TNA subsections and training needs were calculated. Open-ended questions were analysed using content analysis, identifying training domains and topics in terms of frequency and ranking. Results: The TNA identified 'Research' as the highest training need. Research tasks were significantly rated as the least important and the lowest rated performance compared to other domains. Child mental health was rated as the most important specific training need. Conclusion: The results of this survey provide insight into the training needs of professional nurses employed in PHC facilities and highlight the need for child mental healthcare and research training in this setting. Contribution: The study contributes to the understanding of the training and education needs of professional nurses working in PHC facilities.