Derek Puddester

Building positive relationships in healthcare: Evaluation of the teams of interprofessional staff interprofessional education program

The Teams of Interprofessional Staff (TIPS) project consisted of five healthcare teams from across Ontario, participating in three, two-day face-to-face interprofessional educational (IPE) sessions over an 8-month period. The purpose of TIPS was to explore whether interprofessional team development for practicing healthcare professionals, makes a difference in team functioning, team member satisfaction, ability to work effectively both individually and as a team, and improved patient well-being. A comprehensive formative and summative evaluation revealed that all teams perceived they benefitted from and engaged in successful team development. Success meant different things to each team reflecting the continuum of team development from building a safe, trusted group to becoming leaders of team development for other interprofessional teams. Effective teamwork is crucial to nurses who often take on the role of coordinator of care on a day-to-day basis, or are in managerial roles in interprofessional clinics or clinical program teams.

Managing and mitigating fatigue in the era of changing resident duty hours

The medical establishment is grappling with the complex issue of duty hour regulations – an issue that is a natural consequence of the numerous changes in medical culture and practice that have occurred over the course of decades. Sleep deprivation resulting from long duty hours has a recognized impact on resident health and wellness. This paper will briefly outline the evolution of the concept of well-being in residency, review the specific theme of fatigue management within that context, and describe strategies that may be used to mitigate and manage fatigue, as well as approaches that may be taken to adapt to new scheduling models such as night float. Finally, the paper will call for a change in the culture in our workplaces and among our residents and faculty to one that promotes good health and ensures that we maintain a fit and sustainable medical workforce.

Designing faculty development to support the evaluation of resident competency in the intrinsic CanMEDS roles: practical outcomes of an assessment of program director needs

BackgroundThe Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada mandate that faculty members demonstrate they are evaluating residents on all CanMEDS (Canadian Medical Education Directions for Specialists) roles as part of the accreditation process. Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Ottawa initiated a 5-year project to develop and implement a comprehensive system to assess the full spectrum of CanMEDS roles. This paper presents the findings from a needs assessment with Program Directors, in order to determine how postgraduate medical faculty can be motivated and supported to evaluate residents on the intrinsic CanMEDS roles.MethodsSemi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 60 Postgraduate Program Directors in the Faculty of Medicine. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative analysis. Once the researchers were satisfied the identified themes reflected the views of the participants, the data was assigned to categories to provide rich, detailed, and comprehensive information that would indicate what faculty need in order to effectively evaluate their residents on the intrinsic roles.ResultsFindings indicated faculty members need faculty development and shared point of care resources to support them with how to not only evaluate, but also teach, the intrinsic roles. Program Directors expressed the need to collaborate and share resources across departments and national specialty programs. Based on our findings, we designed and delivered workshops with companion eBooks to teach and evaluate residents at the point of care (Developing the Professional, Health Advocate and Scholar).ConclusionsIdentifying stakeholder needs is essential for designing effective faculty development. By sharing resources, faculties can prevent ‘reinventing the wheel’ and collaborate to meet the Colleges’ accreditation requirements more efficiently.

Designing Digital Video to Support Learner Outcomes: A Study in an Online Learning Resource for Healthcare Professionals and Students

This pragmatic, mixed methods study explored how the design and implementation of digital video resources in an online educational environment affected learning outcomes. Forty-five health professionals and students evaluated the digital videos incorporated into ePhysicianHealth.com, the world’s first comprehensive online resource on health and wellness for physicians and medical students. Specifically the participants were to evaluate how digital videos impacted their learning experiences. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from two sources: surveys and interviews. The findings of the study clearly indicated that the majority of the participants found the digital videos a valuable addition to ePhysicianHealth.com. There were numerous practical conclusions from this study that provided recommendations for the future design and delivery of digital videos in pedagogical settings. They included: the use of personal testimonials and stories; the use of problem-solving scenarios involving modeling and demonstrations; and tailoring modeling scenarios to the specific needs of learners.

Increasing Support and Job Satisfaction for Program Administrators at the Postgraduate Medical Education Off

Background: Realizing Program Administrators (PAs) are crucial to the success of the postgraduate medical education (PGME) program, the postgraduate medical education office at the University of Ottawa conducted a needs analysis to; (a) identify training opportunities PAs felt would support them in being effective at meeting role expectations including supporting Program Directors (PDs); and (b) gather information from PAs to guide the PGME office in taking positive action toward increasing satisfaction with services and resources. Methods: A mixed methods approach, involved collecting and analyzing data from online surveys and follow-up qualitative interviews. The constructs of the W(e)Learn framework (content, media (delivery), service, structure and outcomes) guided the data analysis. Results: PAs identified the following professional development topics they said would benefit them: Human Resources; Communication and Conflict Management Courses; Career Development; Evaluation, Policy, Multigenerational Workforces; and Best Technological Practices of Relevance to PAs. The PAs also identified several recommendations for how the PGME office could facilitate them effectively carrying out their roles and responsibilities. Conclusions: An effective form of support is offering convenient, relevant professional development to help employees meet role expectations. A well-designed professional development program should begin with a needs analysis to determine stakeholder needs with regard to relevant content, preferred delivery methods, service issues and course structure, in order to ensure desired learner outcomes.