Effectiveness of a training workshop on quality improvement tools for liaison nursing officers at Colombo south Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka: A pre-post evaluation using the Kirkpatrick Model
Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka.
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Technology Research Archive, 2026, 10(02), 001-009.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijstra.2026.10.2.0016
Publication history:
Received on 24 February 2026; revised on 04 April 2026; accepted on 06 April 2026
Abstract:
Background: Quality improvement (QI) tools are essential for systematic problem-solving in healthcare settings. Liaison nursing officers play a vital role in coordinating ward-level QI initiatives at Colombo South Teaching Hospital (CSTH), Sri Lanka, yet structured training in formal QI tools has been limited, as most of them were recruited within 2 years.
Objectives: To assess the perception of knowledge among liaison nursing officers regarding QI tools before and after a structured two-day training workshop, and to evaluate learning outcomes using the Kirkpatrick Level 2 framework.
Methods: A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used. 47 liaison nursing officers from wards of CSTH participated. A validated 8-item five-point Likert questionnaire assessed self-reported perception of knowledge across four QI domains: problem identification, problem prioritization, process mapping, and root cause analysis. The training comprised didactic lectures and hands-on practical application. Pre- and post-training scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p < 0.05).
Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed across all eight items (p < 0.01). The greatest gains were noted in tool-specific knowledge: nominal group technique use for prioritization (+38.3 percentage points), fishbone diagram use for root cause analysis (+34.0 percentage points), and SWOT tool use (+29.8 percentage points). Overall, the proportion of participants rating themselves at high or very high competence rose from 59.6% pre-training to 83.5% post-training, with an overall mean score increase of 0.53 points on the 5-point scale.
Conclusion: The two-day training workshop significantly improved perception of learning regarding QI tools among liaison nursing officers. A blended approach combining didactic instruction with hands-on application is effective for capacity building in healthcare quality improvement. Institutional integration of such training into ongoing professional development is recommended.
Keywords:
Quality Improvement Tools; Nursing Education; Kirkpatrick Model; Training Evaluation; SWOT Analysis; Fishbone Diagram; Sri Lanka
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0