Browsing by Subject "Continuing medical education"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Effectiveness of smart phone application use as continuing medical education method in pediatric oral health care: a randomized trial
    (BMC, 2019-11-21) M. Bonabi; S. Z. Mohebbi; E. A. Martinez-Mier; T. P. Thyvalikakath; M. R. Khami; Cariology, Operative Dentistry and Dental Public Health, School of Dentistry
    Background Continuing education aims at assisting physicians to maintain competency and expose them to emerging issues in their field. Over the last decade, approaches to the delivery of educational content have changed dramatically as medical education at all levels is now benefitting from the use of web-based content and applications for mobile devices. The aim of the present study is to investigate through a randomized trial the effectiveness of a smart phone application to increase public health service physicians’ (PHS physicians) knowledge regarding pediatric oral health care. Method Five of all seven DHCs (District Health Center) in Tehran, which were under the supervision of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Iran University of Medical Sciences, were selected for our study. Physicians of one DHC had participated in a pilot study. All PHS physicians in the other four centers were invited to the current study on a voluntary basis (n = 107). They completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitudes, practice in pediatric dentistry, and background. PHS physicians were assigned randomly to intervention and control groups; those in the intervention group, received a newly designed evidence-based smartphone application, and those in the control group received a booklet, a CME seminar, and a pamphlet. A post-intervention survey was administered 4 months later and t-test and repeated measures ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) were performed to measure the difference in the PHS physicians’ knowledge, attitude and practice. Results In both groups, the mean knowledge scores were significantly higher (p-Value < 0.001) in post-intervention data compared to those at baseline. Similar results existed in attitude and practice scores. Although the scores in knowledge in the intervention group indicating potentially greater improvement when compared to those of the control group, the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (dif: 0.84, 95% CI − 0.35 to 2.02). Conclusion In the light of the limitations of the present study, smart phone applications could improve knowledge, attitude and practice in physicians although this method was not superior to the conventional method of CME.
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    Examining the Efficacy of Project ECHO to Improve Clinicians’ Knowledge and Preparedness to Treat Adolescent Vaping
    (Sage, 2022) Oliver, Alexander P.; Bell, Lauren A.; Agley, Jon; Bixler, Kristina; Hulvershorn, Leslie A.; Adams, Zachary W.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    As adolescent vaping reaches epidemic rates in the United States, it is imperative that pediatric clinicians have access to medical knowledge on best practices for screening, assessing, and treating vaping-related substance use. The Teen Vaping ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program was developed to offer practical learning sessions focused on clinical management of adolescent vaping. This study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program’s impact on participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding treatment of adolescent vaping from registration to the end of the series. Participants were generally knowledgeable about vaping at registration and reported significant increases in comfort talking with patients about vaping, counseling patients on nicotine replacement products, and frequency of implementing best-practice screening strategies at the end of the series. This study suggests ECHO programs focused on improving clinical management of adolescent vaping may increase accessibility of evidence-based care and reduce harms associated with vaping in youth.
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    Promoting best practices for managing opioid overdoses in the field: A novel project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes program for first responders
    (Elsevier, 2022-10-28) Oliver, Alexander P.; Adams, Zachary W.; Ott, Carol A.; Agley, Jon; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    As the opioid overdose epidemic persists in the United States, it is important to provide specific first responder-oriented continuing education opportunities on interacting with, treating, and assessing individuals who overdose or who have Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). This research brief describes the first Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program focused on first responders and opioids, including the content covered and concomitant popularity and the registrants' objective knowledge and attitudes about opioids. Participation in the 'First Responders and Opioids ECHO' was free with no attendance requirements. Data include secondary assessment and description of the 9-session curriculum developed to address first responders' continuing education needs on OUD and overdose as well as objective knowledge and attitudes collected at program registration and granular attendance data by topic. Of 158 registrants, 102 attended at least one program session, with participants attending an average of 3.26 sessions (SD = 2.62). Registrants reported mixed knowledge levels, but even among this voluntary cohort of early adopters, objective knowledge about OUD and best-practice overdose response was only moderate. Registrants generally displayed non-stigmatizing and affirming attitudes and beliefs (e.g., substance use disorder is a treatable illness [M = 1.56, SD = 0.73]), with somewhat less agreement with items focused on harm reduction and medication-based treatment. A plausible case can be made that there is a need for evidence-based continuing education on opioids for first responders and related professionals. A motivated cohort of registrants displayed moderate but inconsistent knowledge and generally favorable attitudes. We encourage further systematic process and outcomes research on this topic.
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    Use of Project ECHO to promote evidence based care for justice involved adults with opioid use disorder
    (Sage, 2022) Adams, Zachary W.; Agley, Jon; Pederson, Casey A.; Bell, Lauren A.; Aalsma, Matthew C.; Jackson, TiAura; Grant, Miyah T.; Ott, Carol A.; Hulvershorn, Leslie A.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Background: People with opioid use disorders (OUDs) are at heightened risk for involvement with the criminal justice system. Growing evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of providing empirically supported treatments for OUD, such as medications for OUD (M-OUD), to people with criminal justice involvement including during incarceration or upon reentry into the community. However, several barriers limit availability and accessibility of these treatment options for people with OUDs, including a shortage of healthcare and justice professionals trained in how to implement them. This study evaluated a novel education program, the Indiana Jail OUD Treatment ECHO, designed to disseminate specialty knowledge and improve attitudes about providing M-OUD in justice settings. Methods: Through didactic presentations and case-based learning (10 bimonthly, 90-min sessions), a multidisciplinary panel of specialists interacted with a diverse group of community-based participants from healthcare, criminal justice, law enforcement, and related fields. Participants completed standardized surveys about OUD knowledge and attitudes about delivering M-OUD in correctional settings. Thematic analysis of case presentations was conducted. Results: Among 43 participants with pre- and post-series evaluation data, knowledge about OUD increased and treatment was viewed as more practical after the ECHO series compared to before. Cases presented during the program typically involved complicated medical and psychiatric comorbidities, and recommendations addressed several themes including harm reduction, post-release supports, and integration of M-OUD and non-pharmacological interventions. Conclusions: Evaluation of future iterations of this innovative program should address attendance and provider behavior change as well as patient and community outcomes associated with ECHO participation.