OBJECTIVE: To use an interactive workship as a means of integrating clinical practice guidelines on congestive heart failure into Canadian family physicians' practice. SETTING: Interested practitioners from the Association des Médecins Omnipraticiens de Québec, the Centre de Santé Publique de Québec and the continuing medical education (CME) department, Merck Frosst Canada, Montreal, formed the initial task force. Train-the-trainer sessions took place in many provinces in a variety of CME settings. DESIGN: The interactive, problem-based workshop was facilitated by local interested general practitioners, while local experts served as consultants to reinforce key messages from clinical practice guidelines and to guide participants through the learning process. MAIN RESULTS: By December 31, 1996, 187 family practitioners and 81 specialists had been trained in train-the-trainer sessions across the country. A total of 1698 general practitioners had participated in over 52 workshops during the same time. Pre- and postworkshop testing indicate that the workshops improved knowledge, and that the knowledge gained during the workshop was retained at three- and six-months' follow-up. Separate chart evaluations conducted before and after the workshop showed that participants provided more complete chart information related to congestive heart failure and that they significantly increased their use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy after the workshop. Participant evaluation of the workshop also indicates a high index of satisfaction with the presentation and the content of the workshop as being relevant to clinical practice. CONCLUSION: An interactive, problem-based, small group workshop developed by a core group of interested practitioners and guided by local trained facilitators and experts is an effective teaching tool through which clinical practice guidelines can be successfully transferred into clinical practice in a timely and meaningful way.
OBJECTIVE: To use an interactive workship as a means of integrating clinical practice guidelines on congestive heart failure into Canadian family physicians' practice. SETTING: Interested practitioners from the Association des Médecins Omnipraticiens de Québec, the Centre de Santé Publique de Québec and the continuing medical education (CME) department, Merck Frosst Canada, Montreal, formed the initial task force. Train-the-trainer sessions took place in many provinces in a variety of CME settings. DESIGN: The interactive, problem-based workshop was facilitated by local interested general practitioners, while local experts served as consultants to reinforce key messages from clinical practice guidelines and to guide participants through the learning process. MAIN RESULTS: By December 31, 1996, 187 family practitioners and 81 specialists had been trained in train-the-trainer sessions across the country. A total of 1698 general practitioners had participated in over 52 workshops during the same time. Pre- and postworkshop testing indicate that the workshops improved knowledge, and that the knowledge gained during the workshop was retained at three- and six-months' follow-up. Separate chart evaluations conducted before and after the workshop showed that participants provided more complete chart information related to congestive heart failure and that they significantly increased their use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy after the workshop. Participant evaluation of the workshop also indicates a high index of satisfaction with the presentation and the content of the workshop as being relevant to clinical practice. CONCLUSION: An interactive, problem-based, small group workshop developed by a core group of interested practitioners and guided by local trained facilitators and experts is an effective teaching tool through which clinical practice guidelines can be successfully transferred into clinical practice in a timely and meaningful way.