This thesis explores the support of learning through reflection, in the context of medical students and practitioners, working through a series of simulated consultations involving the diagnosis and management of chronic illness. A model of the medical consultative process was defined, on which a web-based patient simulation was developed. This simulation can be accessed over the Internet using commonly available web-browsers. It enables users to interact with a virtual patient by taking a history, examining the patient, requesting and reviewing investigations, and choosing appropriate management strategies. The virtual patient can be reviewed over a number of consultations, and the patient outcome is dependant on the management strategy selected by the user. A second model was also developed, that adds a layer of reflection over the consultative process. While interacting with the virtual patient users are asked to formulate and test their hypotheses. Simple tools are included to encourage users to record their observations and thoughts for further learning, as well as providing links to web-based library resources. At the end of each consultation, users are asked to review their actions and indicate whether they think their actions were critical, relevant, or not relevant to the diagnosis and management of the patient in light of their current knowledge. Users also have the opportunity to compare their activity to their peers or an expert in the case under study. Three formal cycles of evaluation were undertaken during the design and development of the software. A number of clinicians were involved in the initial design to ensure there was an appropriate structure that matched clinical practice. Formative evaluation was conducted to review the usability of the application, and based on user feedback a number of changes were made to the user interface and structure of the application. A third, end user, evaluation was undertaken using a single case concerning the diagnosis and management of hypertriglyceridaemia in the context of Type 1B Glycogen Storage Disease. This evaluation involved ten medical students, five general practitioners and two specialists. The evaluation involved observation using a simplified think-aloud, as well as administration of a questionnaire. Users were engaged by the simulation, and were able to use the application with only a short period of training. Usability issues still exist with respect to the processing of natural language input, especially when asking questions of the virtual patient. Until such time that natural language recognition is able to provide satisfactory performance, alternative, list-based, methods of interaction will be required. Evaluation involving medical students, general practitioners, and specialist medical practitioners demonstrated that reflection can be supported and encouraged by providing appropriate tools, as well as by judiciously interrupting the consultative process and providing time for reflection to take place. Reflection could have been further enhanced if users had been educated on reflection as a learning modality prior to using SIMPRAC. Further work is also required to improve the simulation environment, improve the interfaces for supporting reflection, and further define the benefits of using this approach for medical education and professional development with respect to learning outcomes and behavioural change.

This thesis explores the support of learning through reflection, in the context of medical students and practitioners, working through a series of simulated consultations involving the diagnosis and management of chronic illness. A model of the medical consultative process was defined, on which a web-based patient simulation was developed. This simulation can be accessed over the Internet using commonly available web-browsers. It enables users to interact with a virtual patient by taking a history, examining the patient, requesting and reviewing investigations, and choosing appropriate management strategies. The virtual patient can be reviewed over a number of consultations, and the patient outcome is dependant on the management strategy selected by the user. A second model was also developed, that adds a layer of reflection over the consultative process. While interacting with the virtual patient users are asked to formulate and test their hypotheses. Simple tools are included to encourage users to record their observations and thoughts for further learning, as well as providing links to web-based library resources. At the end of each consultation, users are asked to review their actions and indicate whether they think their actions were critical, relevant, or not relevant to the diagnosis and management of the patient in light of their current knowledge. Users also have the opportunity to compare their activity to their peers or an expert in the case under study. Three formal cycles of evaluation were undertaken during the design and development of the software. A number of clinicians were involved in the initial design to ensure there was an appropriate structure that matched clinical practice. Formative evaluation was conducted to review the usability of the application, and based on user feedback a number of changes were made to the user interface and structure of the application. A third, end user, evaluation was undertaken using a single case concerning the diagnosis and management of hypertriglyceridaemia in the context of Type 1B Glycogen Storage Disease. This evaluation involved ten medical students, five general practitioners and two specialists. The evaluation involved observation using a simplified think-aloud, as well as administration of a questionnaire. Users were engaged by the simulation, and were able to use the application with only a short period of training. Usability issues still exist with respect to the processing of natural language input, especially when asking questions of the virtual patient. Until such time that natural language recognition is able to provide satisfactory performance, alternative, list-based, methods of interaction will be required. Evaluation involving medical students, general practitioners, and specialist medical practitioners demonstrated that reflection can be supported and encouraged by providing appropriate tools, as well as by judiciously interrupting the consultative process and providing time for reflection to take place. Reflection could have been further enhanced if users had been educated on reflection as a learning modality prior to using SIMPRAC. Further work is also required to improve the simulation environment, improve the interfaces for supporting reflection, and further define the benefits of using this approach for medical education and professional development with respect to learning outcomes and behavioural change.

No description available.

No / to measure general practitioners' knowledge of, confidence with and attitudes to the diagnosis and management of dementia in primary care. Setting: 20 general practices of varying size and prior research experience in Central Scotland, and 16 similarly varied practices in north London. Participants: 127 general practitioners who had volunteered to join a randomised controlled trial of educational interventions about dementia diagnosis and management. Methods: self-completion questionnaires covering knowledge, confidence and attitudes were retrieved from practitioners prior to the educational interventions. Results: general practitioners' knowledge of dementia diagnosis and management is good, but poor awareness of its epidemiology leads to an over-estimate of caseload. Knowledge of local diagnostic and support services is less good, and one third of general practitioners expressed limited confidence in their diagnostic skills, whilst two-thirds lacked confidence in management of behaviour and other problems in dementia. The main difficulties identified by general practitioners were talking with patients about the diagnosis, responding to behaviour problems and coordinating support services. General practitioners perceived lack of time and lack of social services support as the major obstacles to good quality care more often than they identified their own unfamiliarity with current management or with local resources. Attitudes to the disclosure of the diagnosis, and to the potential for improving the quality of life of patients and carers varied, but a third of general practitioners believed that dementia care is within a specialist's domain, not that of general practice. More experienced and male general practitioners were more pessimistic about dementia care, as were general practitioners with lower knowledge about dementia. Those reporting greater difficulty with dementia diagnosis and management and those with lower knowledge scores were also less likely to express attitudes endorsing open communication with patient and carer. Conclusion: educational support for general practitioners should concentrate on epidemiological knowledge, disclosure of the diagnosis and management of behaviour problems in dementia. The availability and profile of support services, particularly social care, need to be enhanced, if earlier diagnosis is to be pursued as a policy objective in primary care.

No description available.

BACKGROUND: In 2009, the Government of the Republic of Vietnam adopted legislation requiring all clinicians to complete continuing medical education (CME) credits in order to maintain licensure. Several CME in-person and distance-based courses have been developed and as of 2015, a national distance-based electronic learning (eLearning) network was being established. However, the uptake of CME courses remained low despite high clinician demand. Vietnam’s high mobile phone ownership rate of 1.4 mobile subscriptions per person presents an opportunity to leverage this for CME. This study investigated how mobile technologies could strengthen delivery of distance-based CME courses and improve national CME program administration. METHODS: A literature and policy review was conducted. Qualitative methods were employed to collect and analyze key informant interviews of 52 global and Vietnamese experts, including selected policy makers. Interviews were supplemented by six focus group discussions with Vietnamese physicians, nurses, midwives and physician assistants. Transcripts were analyzed using an inductive coding methodology. A framework was developed to organize and present results for government consumption. RESULTS: Globally, examples and supporting evidence related to mobile technologies for CME were limited. Experts reported three main use cases for using mobile technology for CME in Vietnam: 1) delivery of CME courses (N=34; 65%); 2) registration and tracking of CME credits (n=28; 54%); and 3) sending alerts and reminders on CME opportunities (n=23; 44%). The national CME policy environment in Vietnam was supportive of introducing mobile technologies within the eLearning network. However, there was a widespread lack of awareness and capacity to design and deliver distance-based CME courses. Mobile phone ownership was high and health workers reported interest in acquiring CME credits via mobile. Financing options to develop and implement distance-based CME courses were limited. CONCLUSION: Despite the paucity of evidence related to mobile technologies for learning, there is potential to innovate and strengthen the evidence base using these technologies for CME in Vietnam. Introducing mobile technologies within the national eLearning network would improve clinicians’ access to CME, particularly in rural areas, and can strengthen national CME program administration. Key recommendations were developed to provide the government with concrete steps for national level adoption.

Continuing medical education has been characterized as didactic and ineffective. This thesis explores the use of Knowledge Building theory, pedagogy, and technology to test an alternative model for physician engagement—one that emphasizes sustained and creative work with ideas. Several important conceptual changes in continuing medical education are implied by the Knowledge Building model—changes that extend the traditional approach through engagement in (a) collective responsibility for group achievements rather than exclusive focus on individual advancement and (b) work in design-mode, with ideas treated as objects of creation and assemblage into larger wholes and new applications, with extension beyond belief-mode where evidence-based acceptance or rejection of beliefs dominates. The goal is to engage physicians in “cultures of participation” where individual learning and collective knowledge invention or metadesign advance in parallel. This study was conducted in a continuing medical education End-of-Life Care Distance Education course, for family physicians, from 2004 to 2009. A mixed methods case study methodology was used to determine if social-mediated Knowledge Building improved physicians’ knowledge, and if so, what social network structural relationships and sociocognitive dynamics support knowledge improvement, democratization of knowledge, and a metadesign perspective. Traditional pre-/posttest learning measures across 4-years showed significant gains (9% on paired t-test = 5.34, p < 0.001) and large effect size (0.82). Social network analysis of ten 2008/2009 modules showed significant difference in density of build-on notes across groups. Additional results demonstrated a relationship between high knowledge gains and social network measures of centrality/distribution and cohesion. Correlation of posttest scores with centrality variables were all positive. Position/power analyses highlighted core-periphery sociocognitive dynamics between the facilitator and students. Facilitators most often evoked partner/expert relationships. Questions rather than statements dominated the discourse; discourse complexity was elaborated/compiled as opposed to reduced/dispersed. Themes beyond predefined learning objectives emerged and Knowledge Building principles of community responsibility, idea improvability, and democratization of knowledge were evident. Overall, results demonstrate the potential of collective Knowledge Building and design-mode work in continuing medical education, with individual learning representing an important by-product. There were no discernible decrements in performance, suggesting significant advantages rather than tradeoffs from engagement in Knowledge Building.

Continuing medical education has been characterized as didactic and ineffective. This thesis explores the use of Knowledge Building theory, pedagogy, and technology to test an alternative model for physician engagement—one that emphasizes sustained and creative work with ideas. Several important conceptual changes in continuing medical education are implied by the Knowledge Building model—changes that extend the traditional approach through engagement in (a) collective responsibility for group achievements rather than exclusive focus on individual advancement and (b) work in design-mode, with ideas treated as objects of creation and assemblage into larger wholes and new applications, with extension beyond belief-mode where evidence-based acceptance or rejection of beliefs dominates. The goal is to engage physicians in “cultures of participation” where individual learning and collective knowledge invention or metadesign advance in parallel. This study was conducted in a continuing medical education End-of-Life Care Distance Education course, for family physicians, from 2004 to 2009. A mixed methods case study methodology was used to determine if social-mediated Knowledge Building improved physicians’ knowledge, and if so, what social network structural relationships and sociocognitive dynamics support knowledge improvement, democratization of knowledge, and a metadesign perspective. Traditional pre-/posttest learning measures across 4-years showed significant gains (9% on paired t-test = 5.34, p < 0.001) and large effect size (0.82). Social network analysis of ten 2008/2009 modules showed significant difference in density of build-on notes across groups. Additional results demonstrated a relationship between high knowledge gains and social network measures of centrality/distribution and cohesion. Correlation of posttest scores with centrality variables were all positive. Position/power analyses highlighted core-periphery sociocognitive dynamics between the facilitator and students. Facilitators most often evoked partner/expert relationships. Questions rather than statements dominated the discourse; discourse complexity was elaborated/compiled as opposed to reduced/dispersed. Themes beyond predefined learning objectives emerged and Knowledge Building principles of community responsibility, idea improvability, and democratization of knowledge were evident. Overall, results demonstrate the potential of collective Knowledge Building and design-mode work in continuing medical education, with individual learning representing an important by-product. There were no discernible decrements in performance, suggesting significant advantages rather than tradeoffs from engagement in Knowledge Building.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-06T23:44:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006 / Este trabalho teve por finalidade conhecer a participação da iniciativa privada em projetos de educação continuada e congressos organizados pela Federação Brasileira das Associações de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Sociedade Brasileira de Clínica Médica e Sociedade Brasileira de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, com objetivo de aferir se estas sociedades poderiam organizar eventos e demais projetos sem o patrocínio externo e saber se as empresas que apóiam financeiramente tais atividades interferem na sua elaboração. A coleta de dados foi feita através de uma entrevista semi-estruturada aberta com os presidentes das três sociedades médicas. Os achados mostram que as instituições pesquisadas não poderiam arcar com os custos dos projetos de educação continuada sem o patrocínio das empresas farmacêuticas, e que 65% dos projetos desenvolvidos são integralmente financiados pelas mesmas. Outro dado importante é que a iniciativa privada não influencia o conteúdo científico dos projetos que patrocinam ou congressos dos quais participam, cabendo integralmente às entidades médicas pesquisadas a definição dos temas e autores. / This paper intended to study the private-sector involvement in continuing education issues and also in congresses organized by the Brazilian Federation of the Associations of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Brazilian Society of Medical Clinic and Brazilian Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology. The study aimed to verify whether such entities could, without using external sponsorship, organize events and other projects with the purpose of keeping their members updated, and find out whether the companies financially supporting such activities would interfere in the development of those events. Data were collected through an open semistructured enquiry with the presidents of three medical societies. The findings showed that the research institutions would not be able to bear the costs of continuing education without the sponsorship of pharmaceutical companies, since 65% of the projects developed are totally financed by these entities. Another important finding was that the private sector does not influence the scientific contents of the projects sponsored by them or of the congresses they participate in, and the medical entities enquired are fully in charge of defining both the themes and authors. / BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertações

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T13:10:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriano Chiereghin.pdf: 1166167 bytes, checksum: 0846ec244c19a990817fd1b67c5adfdb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-07 / The study had as main goal to define the professional profile that serves the primary health sector in the city of Sorocaba, and analyze the way in which it is inserted, to identify if there are conditions for the care of rheumatic and low complexity diseases and the possible reasons that would lead to a high degree of referral to specialists. Methods: We performed a quantitative and qualitative study in which doctors from primary health care were invited to answer a questionnaire that addressed personal aspects of professional technicians plus four rheumatic diseases: osteoarthritis, gout, fibromyalgia and osteoporosis which served as the basis for evaluating the care of diseases of low complexity in primary health care. Results: It was observed that the professional is housed in an organizational system that hinders its performance; furthermore, it was noticed certain personal technical difficulties. These conditions combined turn out to be factors that determine a quality of care that falls short of expected. Conclusion: It is necessary that there be a review of how medical education is given in order to seek a more qualified and dedicated training to the basic needs of the health system and a restructuring of the entire health system in terms of organization and management so that there is a suitable condition for the development of a good medical practice and hence provide a fine service to the public / O estudo teve como principal meta definir o perfil do profissional que atende no setor primário de saúde na cidade de Sorocaba, e analisar o meio em que este está inserido, tentando identificar se há condições para o atendimento de doenças reumáticas de baixa complexidade e os possíveis motivos que levariam a um alto grau de encaminhamento aos especialistas. Métodos: Realizamos um estudo quanti-qualitativo no qual médicos da atenção básica de saúde foram convidados a responder à um questionário que abordava aspectos pessoais do profissional, além de técnicos de quatro doenças reumáticas: osteoartrite, gota, fibromialgia e osteoporose as quais serviram de base para avaliar o atendimento a doenças de baixa complexidade nas UBSs. Resultados: Observou-se que o profissional encontra-se inserido num sistema organizacional que dificulta sua atuação; além disso, perceberam-se certas dificuldades pessoais técnicas. Essas condições somadas acabam por serem fatores que determinam uma qualidade de atendimento aquém da esperada. Conclusão: É necessário que haja uma revisão de como a educação médica se dá, a fim de buscar uma formação mais qualificada e voltada às necessidades básicas do sistema de saúde além de uma reestruturação de todo sistema de saúde do ponto de vista de organização e gestão, para que haja uma condição adequada para o desenvolvimento de uma boa prática médica e, consequentemente, uma boa prestação de serviço à população