Development of an online educational resource to upskill nurses redeployed to critical care during the Covid-19 pandemic: facilitators and barriers

Aim: To outline the processes and strategies utilised in the development of an online educational resource for upskilling nurses to meet an urgent workforce demand during the pandemic.

Introduction/Outline:
Critical care nurses are highly trained, safety-critical professionals caring for severely ill patients in specialist units within hospitals. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic there was an urgent need identified by one healthcare trust in Northern Ireland to enhance the existing skills of ward nurses to work in critical care to meet the increased workforce demand. This led to academics from a large University, and clinical staff from the healthcare trust, working collaboratively to develop an online educational resource to support redeployed staff as a complimentary aid to in-house trust training and practical sessions. There were a number of facilitators and barriers to developing and delivering the online resource within a short timeframe and existing resources. The success of the initial collaboration and educational resource led to wider implementation across trusts in Northern Ireland and has since been recognised as a valuable resource for both nursing students and allied health care professionals working within the critical care setting in the post pandemic period. The resource continues to be utilised as a functional, freely accessible platform, with the projected potential for App development.

Recommendations: To learn from the educational strategies and collaboration during Covid-19 to develop and adapt ongoing online resources for future e-learning opportunities within the critical care environment which align with educational standards across Europe and contribute towards the development of critical care competencies.