Development and Evaluation of a Tele-Education Program for Neonatal ICU Nurses in Armenia.

PURPOSE: Neonatal mortality currently accounts for more than 60% of all infant mortality in Armenia. The majority of health professionals in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) however, have had no specialized training in neonatology. Local and global agencies have emphasized the need for improvement in the education and skills of NICU health professionals. The objective of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate an innovative tele-education program for NICU nurses in Armenia. DESIGN AND METHODS: Seven online tele-education courses were designed on various neonatal nursing topics using Final Cut Pro and translated professionally to Armenian. The videos were uploaded to YouTube. All NICU nurses employed in two hospitals (n = 35) in Yerevan, Armenia, completed a diagnostic pretest, course viewing, a posttest, and a satisfaction survey for each topic. A difference in knowledge was defined as the number of correct test answers obtained before and after the course. Participant satisfaction was measured using a Likert scale. RESULTS: The combined average for completed pre-tests for all courses was 45% and 71% for post-tests, which was statistically significant for each course (p < 0.05). A majority of the nurses either agreed or strongly agreed with all of the satisfaction parameters of the course. CONCLUSIONS: These results support a tele-education model for effectively providing continuing education to NICU nurses in Armenia. A similar platform could be used to establish nationwide certification programs for neonatal nurses. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Tele-education technology can be used effectively by nursing educators working in global health as part of international learning collaboratives.

Sexual Attitudes, Reasons for Forgoing Condom Use, and the Influence of Gender Power among Asian-American Women: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: HIV/AIDS prevalence among Asian-American Pacific Islanders (APIs) is low yet rapidly increasing. Prior research from other populations indicates that HIV risk behaviors are associated with specific adverse/risk factors including depression, drug use, history of child sexual abuse, and forced sex. However, no studies have explored the attitudes about sexual risk behaviors and condom use between API women with adverse experiences versus women without such experiences. This qualitative study compares descriptions of sexual history and condom use between the two groups of women. METHODS: A random sample of 24 sexually active API women (16 in the adverse group and 8 in the non-adverse group) was selected for in-depth interviews from a larger study, which included 501 Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese survey participants. FINDINGS: 14 out of the 16 women in the adverse group described complex sexual histories, with greater number of partners, more casual partners, and the combined use of alcohol/drugs and sex. The 8 women in the non-adverse group had fewer partners who were more long term. However, for both groups of women, condom use was inconsistent. Also, the majority of the women in both groups reported that either they themselves or they together with their partners had decided whether or not to use condoms. Yet 4 women in the adverse group showed lower gender power, with their partners being the primary decision-maker for condom use. CONCLUSION: Given the inconsistent condom use for both groups, all women in this study were at risk for HIV/AIDS. Consistent with prior research, a sub-group of the women in the adverse group with lower gender power seemed particularly at higher risk. Future HIV prevention interventions need to target all API women while screening for lower gender power to identify those with the highest risk of HIV.