Understanding of and attitudes towards nursing education reform at medical colleges in Kyrgyzstan: A mixed-method study.

Aim: To determine teachers' understanding of and attitudes towards nursing education reform at four medical colleges in Kyrgyzstan.

Background: The quality of nursing education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels has a major impact on patient outcomes and the development of nursing as a profession and a science.

Introduction: Lower middle-income countries have sought to advance their nursing education by adopting the experiences of high-income countries.

Methods: A mixed-method cross-sectional study design was used. The STROBE combined checklist was followed. A cohort of all faculty members at four colleges were included (N = 150). The questionnaire consisted of 10 groups of questions and statements. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected.

Findings: A total of 56.4% of respondents were familiar with the European approach to nurse education; 73.3% of respondents with a nursing education reported being familiar with the European approach, compared to 40.7% of respondents with a medical education. Qualitative written comments yielded 57 superscripts of codes, 14 subcategories, 5 categories and 2 themes as drivers and barriers of reform.

Discussion: The survey revealed weak support for the nursing education reform. Respondents do not envisage nurse education being offered at all three levels of higher education (bachelor's, master's, and PhD), and even fewer recognise nurses as leaders of healthcare institutions.

Implication for nursing: Teachers in nursing programmes should mostly be nurses with academic careers.

Implication for health policy: Nursing is still not recognised as an extremely important health profession that needs to be developed. This misunderstanding and negative attitude towards the role of nurses in the health care system are evident in both the quantitative and qualitative parts of the study.