Feasibility and short‐term impact of the “case study in‐house group training program for family nursing” at medical facilities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and short‐term impact of case study training in family nursing care targeting midlevel nursing professionals. The intervention group participated in four 90‐minute case study training sessions over 6 months, while the control group participated in two 90‐minute lectures. Using primary outcome variables as evaluation indexes, we measured the participants' total scores on the Family Importance in Nursing Care Scale and 4 subitems 3 times (before, immediately after and 1 month after training) from May 2014 to March 2015 and then conducted 2‐way repeated‐measure analysis of variance. We asked the participants and training planners/managers to provide feedback on their evaluation and then performed content analysis on their responses. Although the primary impact due to the different measurement times was significant, no significant difference was observed in the interaction between measurement time and training differences. Of the 4 subitems, significant interactions because of measurement time and training differences were observed only in Fam‐B. Feedback data showed all participants felt that their understanding of the importance of family nursing care was strengthened, and participants in the intervention group specifically described how they were utilizing what they had learned from training in practice. SUMMARY STATEMENT What is already known about this topic? The importance of involving families in health care has been evidenced in much of the literature and current guidelines. Case studies may serve as a good educational approach for family nursing. What this paper adds? The “Case Study In‐house Group Training Program for Family Nursing”, in which in‐hospital specialists and expert nurses teach midlevel staff nurses, led to better scores for attitudes toward family nursing than a family nursing training course by a visiting lecturer is new. The implications of this paper: Participants who received case study training specifically described how they were utilizing what they had learned from the training in practice, and did not tend to perceive the presence of families as a burden.