Impact of Accreditation Standards on the Quality of Continuing Nursing Education Activities as Perceived by the Learner.

BACKGROUND: Continuing nursing education (CNE) activities are increasingly becoming a requirement for RNs to maintain licensure or certification and to remain competent in practice in the fast-changing health care environment. Regardless of the health care profession, continuing education should be a quality educational experience to positively influence practice and patient outcomes.

METHOD: A 15-item matrix based on the 2013 American Nurses Credentialing Center Primary Accreditation criteria was used to evaluate CNE activities. The matrix reflected the characteristics that a learner should be able to identify when participating in a Web-based CNE activity.

RESULTS: A measurable learner-perceived difference was observed in the quality of the educational experience between educational activities developed by organizations using accreditation criteria, compared with those that did not.

CONCLUSION: Learners can use accreditation criteria as one method to discriminate high-quality educational activities that are designed to positively influence practice and patient outcomes. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(4):157-164.