Andrea D Furlan1,2,3, Jane Zhao1, Jennifer Voth4, Samah Hassan1,3, Ruth Dubin5, Jennifer N Stinson6,7,8, Susan Jaglal4,7,9, Ralph Fabico1, Andrew J Smith10, Paul Taenzer11, John F Flannery1,2. 1. 1 Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada. 2. 2 Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada. 3. 3 Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Canada. 4. 4 Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Canada. 5. 5 Department of Family Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. 6. 6 Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. 7. 7 Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Canada. 8. 8 Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Canada. 9. 9 Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto, Canada. 10. 10 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada. 11. 11 Faculty of Health Sciences, Queens University, Kingston, Canada.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Inadequate knowledge and training of healthcare providers are obstacles to effective chronic pain management. ECHO (extension for community healthcare outcomes) uses case-based learning and videoconferencing to connect specialists with providers in underserved areas. ECHO aims to increase capacity in managing complex cases in areas with poor access to specialists. METHODS: A pre-post study was conducted to evaluate the impact of ECHO on healthcare providers' self-efficacy, knowledge and satisfaction. Type of profession, presenting a case, and number of sessions attended were examined as potential factors that may influence the outcomes. RESULTS: From June 2014 to March 2017, 296 primary care healthcare providers attended ECHO, 264 were eligible for the study, 170 (64%) completed the pre-ECHO questionnaire and 119 completed post-ECHO questionnaires. Participants were physicians (34%), nurse practitioners (21%), pharmacists (13%) and allied health professionals (32%). Participants attended a mean of 15 ± 9.19 sessions. There was a significant increase in self-efficacy (p < 0.0001) and knowledge (p < 0.0001). Self-efficacy improvement was significantly higher among physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners than the non-prescribers group (p = 0.03). On average, 96% of participants were satisfied with ECHO. Satisfaction was higher among those who presented cases and attended more sessions. DISCUSSION: This study shows that ECHO improved providers' self-efficacy and knowledge. We evaluated outcomes from a multidisciplinary group of providers practicing in Ontario. This diversity supports the generalisability of our findings. Therefore, we suggest that this project may be used as a template for creating other educational programs on other medical topics.
INTRODUCTION: Inadequate knowledge and training of healthcare providers are obstacles to effective chronic pain management. ECHO (extension for community healthcare outcomes) uses case-based learning and videoconferencing to connect specialists with providers in underserved areas. ECHO aims to increase capacity in managing complex cases in areas with poor access to specialists. METHODS: A pre-post study was conducted to evaluate the impact of ECHO on healthcare providers' self-efficacy, knowledge and satisfaction. Type of profession, presenting a case, and number of sessions attended were examined as potential factors that may influence the outcomes. RESULTS: From June 2014 to March 2017, 296 primary care healthcare providers attended ECHO, 264 were eligible for the study, 170 (64%) completed the pre-ECHO questionnaire and 119 completed post-ECHO questionnaires. Participants were physicians (34%), nurse practitioners (21%), pharmacists (13%) and allied health professionals (32%). Participants attended a mean of 15 ± 9.19 sessions. There was a significant increase in self-efficacy (p < 0.0001) and knowledge (p < 0.0001). Self-efficacy improvement was significantly higher among physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners than the non-prescribers group (p = 0.03). On average, 96% of participants were satisfied with ECHO. Satisfaction was higher among those who presented cases and attended more sessions. DISCUSSION: This study shows that ECHO improved providers' self-efficacy and knowledge. We evaluated outcomes from a multidisciplinary group of providers practicing in Ontario. This diversity supports the generalisability of our findings. Therefore, we suggest that this project may be used as a template for creating other educational programs on other medical topics.
Entities:
Keywords:
Pain education; chronic pain management; community based education; continuing medical education; interprofessional medical education; primary care education; problem-based learning; project echo; quantitative research methods; remote; rural; tele-education; tele-mentoring; underserved
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