Increasing Research Skills in Rural Health Boards: An Evaluation of a Training Program from Western Newfoundland

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation
• Main Authors: Mathews, Maria, Lynch, Anne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 2007
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.22.003; https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/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.