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Practice Behavior (practice + behavior)
Selected AbstractsTHE IMPACT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAINING ON LAW GUARDIAN KNOWLEDGE, EFFICACY, AND PRACTICE BEHAVIORSFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 1 2007Wendi Cross There is an increased demand for law guardians in domestic violence cases, especially those involving child witnesses. Training is required for law guardians to meet child clients' needs. While workshops and conferences are typical venues for continuing education training, their effectiveness is unknown. This pilot study compared law guardians who attended a conference on community violence and children to nonattendees on several training outcomes. Results showed a positive impact on attendees' feelings of efficacy and intentions to carry out new practice behaviors post-conference; differences were maintained at follow-up. Limitations and implications of this pilot study are discussed. [source] The quality of questions and use of resources in self-directed learning: Personal learning projects in the maintenance of certificationTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 2 2009T. Horsley PhD Abstract Introduction: To engage effectively and efficiently in self-directed learning and knowledge-seeking practices, it is important that physicians construct well-formulated questions; yet, little is known about the quality of good questions and their relationship to self-directed learning or to change in practice behavior. Methods: Personal learning projects (PLPs) submitted to the Canadian Maintenance of Certification program were examined to include underlying characteristics, quality of therapeutic questions (population, intervention, comparator, outcome [PICO] mnemonic), and relationships between stage of change and level of evidence used to resolve questions. Results: We assessed 1989 submissions (from 559 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada [RCPSC]). The majority of submissions were by males (69.2%) aged 40,59 (59.4%) with an average of 24.3 (range 6,58, SD 11.1) years since graduation. The most frequent submissions were treatment (36.6%) and diagnosis (22.3%) questions. Half of all questions described ,2 components (PICO), and only 3.7% of questions included all 4 components. Cross tabulations indicated only 1 significant trend for the use of narrative reviews and the outcome "integrating new knowledge' (P < .000). Discussion: Self-directed learning skills comprise an important strategy for specialists maintaining or expanding their expertise in patient care, but an important obstacle to answering patient care questions is the ability to formulate good ones. Engagement in most major learning activities is stimulated by management of a single patient: formal accredited group learning events are of limited value in starting episodes of self-directed learning. Low levels of evidence used to address learning projects. Future research should determine how best to improve the quality of questions submitted and whether or not these changes result in increased efficiencies, more appropriate uses of evidence, and increased changes in practice behaviors. [source] 18 Graduate Medical Education and Knowledge Translation: One Problem-Specific Approach in ResidencyACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2008Christopher Carpenter Traditional graduate medical education approaches to improving clinical performance based upon the latest research have included Journal Club and didactic lectures. Unfortunately, these educational interventions have rarely been demonstrated to change practice behavior or improve patient-important outcomes. Using a structured approach to identifying a gap between best-evidence knowledge and clinical practice, an illustrative one-year residency-wide translational research project was developed in a four year emergency medicine training program. Step one (assigned to the second year residents): identify and quantitatively justify a Knowledge Translation (KT) deficit within our institution. They identified steroids in adult bacterial meningitis as an unequivocal therapeutic option. Based upon a structured one-year chart review, they next demonstrated that only 7% of meningitis patients received pre-antimicrobial steroids. The next step (assigned to the first year residents): identify and quantify the physician "leaks" within the pipeline of information from publication to bedside utilization via an online survey. The third year residents hypothesized plugs for these information leaks, including examples of other specialties or institutions which have successfully navigated this specific clinical scenario. Finally, at an end-of-year Journal Club, the fourth year residents formulated a protocol for the appropriate use of steroids in suspected adult meningitis and brought together individuals from within the institution contributing to the best-practice leak. Knowledge Translation involves multiple stages beyond simple evidence awareness and usually involves continuation beyond the emergency department. The Washington University KT project offers a structured, multidisciplinary example of moving beyond contemplation to implementation of an unequivocal therapy. [source] Assessing oral cancer early detection: clarifying dentists' practicesJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 2 2010Charles W. LeHew PhD Abstract Objective: This study explores new methods for assessing in greater detail what dentists do when they perform oral cancer early detection examinations. It clarifies practice behaviors and opens opportunities to identify factors that facilitate thorough early detection examinations by clinicians and to assess the relative effectiveness of different examination procedures. Methods: A 38-item survey instrument was e-mailed to dentists in a western US, multistate dental practice group. Questionnaires were received by 241 dentists, and 102 responded. An Oral Cancer Knowledge scale (0 to 14) was generated from correct responses on oral cancer general knowledge. An Oral Cancer Examination Thoroughness scale was calculated from the two dimensions of reported usage and frequency of procedures in oral cancer examinations. Results: Nearly all responding dentists were in general practice (90%), with a median year of graduation from dental school of 1994. The Oral Cancer Knowledge scores ranged from 5 to 14 with a mean of 10.4. The mean Thoroughness of Examination score was 11.34 (range 0 to 20). The two scales were not statistically correlated (r = ,0.015, P = 0.883). Statistically, recency of continuing education was significantly associated with knowledge (P = 0.0284) and appears to be marginally associated with thoroughness (P = 0.075). Conclusions: This study documents considerable variability in dentists' knowledge and thoroughness of examinations. The scales provide tools for future studies for improving understanding of early detection of oral cancer in clinical practice. [source] Student-Run Health Clinic: Novel Arena to Educate Medical Students on Systems-Based PracticeMOUNT SINAI JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: A JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2009Yasmin S. Meah MD Abstract In recent decades, the United States has experienced substantial growth in the number of student-run clinics for the indigent. Today, over 49 medical schools across the country operate over 110 student-run outreach clinics that provide primary care services to the poor and uninsured. Despite this development, little research has been published on the educational value of such student-led endeavors. Although much has been surmised, no general methodology for categorizing the learning experience in these clinics has been established. This article represents the first literature review of the novel method of educating students through the operation of a clinic for the underserved. It highlights the student-run clinic as a unique enhancement of medical education that may supplant current curricular arenas in teaching students about systems-based practice principles such as cost containment and financing, resource allocation, interdisciplinary collaboration, patient advocacy, and monitoring and delivery of quality care. The novelty of the student-run clinic is that students place themselves at the forefront of problem solving and system navigation to effectively care for severely disadvantaged populations. This article underscores the student-run clinic as a potentially ideal experiential learning method for preparing young physicians to confront a US healthcare system currently facing crises in cost, quality of care, and high rates of uninsurance. The article stresses the need for outcomes research on the long-term effectiveness of the student-run clinic experience in affecting medical student practice behaviors and attitudes in patient care settings that extend beyond the student-run clinic. Mt Sinai J Med 76:344,356, 2009. © 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine [source] |