Exploring the perceptions and barriers of nurses working in remote areas on tele-educational delivery of pharmacy knowledge in Henan, China: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: There are insufficient educational resources and opportunities available to nurses at county-level medical institutions in China to receive pharmacy knowledge education. Video conference pharmacy education (VCPE) has become a solution. However, a few studies have explored the perceptions of nurses participating in VCPE. The study was aimed to explore the perceptions of nurses participating in VCPE at county-level medical institutions in remote areas in China. The barriers and suggestions to improve the VCPE were also assessed. SETTING: The study was conducted in two county-level hospitals in Henan, China. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: This qualitative study comprises two focus group discussions. Twenty-three nurses from two county-level hospitals in Henan province participated in the interview in May 2019. RESULTS: The average age of our participants was 34.83±6.24 years old (from 26 to 55 years old). By deeply analysing the data, the following four domains were extracted: Four themes were extracted on VCPE from this qualitative study: (1) the pharmacy knowledge gains from VCPE, (2) the shortcomings VCPE, (3) the advantages of the VCPE and (4) the expectations and suggestions for the VCPE. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate VCPE is a valuable tool to provide education to nurses working at remote area county-level institutions. The results contribute to improvements in future VCPE deliveries.