CPD for US – Research Blog

Dictionary

This paper is focused on continuing professional development of clinicians in the United States. Therefore, the terminology and concepts discussed are specific to that context and culture. Key concepts used are: Interprofessional Learning (IPL) is a situation “when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care” (CAIPE, 2002)....Read More

The lack of health insurance and human casualties: is the number large enough to justify benchmarking against war casualties?

Healthcare, price and results. A lot has been written about the United States’ healthcare crisis, its ability to deliver the most progressive healthcare services, its failure to deliver optimal prices and outcomes on the national level, and comparisons between its national health outcomes and those of other developed countries (Gluckman et al., 2008). For example, Davis, Stremikis, Schoen, and...Read More

Interviews

Sample Size The literature states that there is “no prescriptive sample size for a phenomenographic study” (Yates, Partridge, & Bruce, 2012, p. 103). Bowden (2005) suggests that the sample should be large enough to find sufficient variation in perceptions but small enough that the amount of data is manageable. A concept close to sufficient variation in perceptions is the saturation point....Read More

Methodology

Introduction In previous chapters, the purpose of the study was described and the literature reviewed. In the continuation, this chapter will present the methodology used in this study: a set of methods and tools I will use to collect and analyze data and deliver conclusions. A methodology is the activity “of choosing, reflecting upon, evaluating and justifying the methods you use”...Read More

Literature review: Theories behind IPL and QIE

There are a number of theories that can be used to define and analyze IPL (Hean, Craddock, Hammick, & Hammick, 2012) and QIE. The approach to theory in papers on QIE/IPL has evolved from not using any theory at all, to using multiple theories to explain the concept. However, that progression has been very gradual. Even today, significant numbers of CME/CPD papers do not reference theory...Read More

Literature review – introduction

The previous chapter – background – explained the importance of this research. In this chapter, I will review published literature in an attempt to present the most important perspectives for implementation of QIE and IPL by professionals involved in perioperative teams, with special focus on technology-enhanced collaborative learning and cultural and contextual factors. Implementation of...Read More

Literature review: CME/CPD of anesthesia team in the U.S.

The previous chapter explained socio-economic and political processes that shape the professional and educational landscape of healthcare professions. This section will describe how education is changing in that very dynamic context. It will start with a reflection on more general technology-related changes, which share many similarities with processes affecting our society in general. The...Read More

Literature Review: Context: the U.S. healthcare system and healthcare teams

As part of the big-picture approach, it is important to describe the current U.S. healthcare context. It is shaped by a series of very strong drivers. Some of these are: U.S. healthcare CME/CPD research culture is influenced by positivist, quantitative traditions. U.S. healthcare system is undergoing massive transformation. That process is heavily politicized. Professional education system is...Read More

Literature Review – Key Points

Quality improvement education (QIE) and interprofessional learning (IPL) are from a macro-perspective very interwoven and we can perceive them as two lenses observing the same healthcare learning system. Medical home models are built around the concept of networked care – where all healthcare providers, patients and their families work as one well-connected team. In the modern digital and...Read More

Research questions

As the literature review shows, education focused on quality improvement of clinical practice and IPL has been grabbing our attention for more than half a century, and there is a wealth of publications on that topic. However, very few changes were accepted. It is fair to say that QIE/IPL are still in the early stages. On the other hand, recent strong political-economic forces and...Read More

Thesis index

The draft thesis content will be shared as series of blog posts. Therefore, you will be able to find posts by browsing through the blog or checking this index page. Dictionary Literature Review Introduction Key points Context: the U.S. healthcare system and healthcare teams CME/CPD of anesthesia team in the U.S. Quality improvement education and interprofessional learning Theories behind IPL...Read More

Introduction

Interprofessional learning (IPL) and Quality Improvement Education (QIE) are increasingly recognized as important tools to improve performance of U.S. healthcare teams and address the changes the U.S. healthcare system and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system are undergoing (Hager, Russell, Fletcher, & Macy Jr, 2008; IoM, 2010; Macy, 2013; WHO, 2010). The need for change is...Read More

Indicative thesis contents

Table of contents will contain the following elements: Element Number of words Abstract 300 Introduction 700 Background 3,000 Literature review 11,000 Research design 3,800 Findings 19,400 Discussion, conclusions and further work 11,000 Dictionary and list of abbreviations 500 Images (words for description) 300 References (not included in the count) 0 Associated...Read More

Ethics and risk

The key to recruiting participants and obtaining successful interviews is to gain their trust and respect. To achieve that, the initial contact with a group or individual will include a clear statement of the research goals, format and ethical considerations. I will make clear that involvement in the research is voluntary; their participation in the study will be anonymous; the results will be...Read More

Dr. McMahon encourages innovation and experimentation in CME

We want to do everything we can to encourage innovation and experimentation in CME, so that educators are free to respond nimbly to their learners’ changing needs while staying true to core principles for educational excellence and independence. We thank accredited CME providers for their participation in this process and look forward to their feedback on our proposal and to our continued work...Read More

Methodology

The social constructivist worldview allows me to focus “on the participants’ views of the situation being studied” Creswell (2009). It suggests open-ended questioning to find what people think or do in their daily lives. A phenomenographic approach is a good tool for that task – providing insight into the more subjective side of the world. On the other hand, although IPL and QIE have become...Read More

Literature review

Evolution Distance learning of the U.S. healthcare workforce has a long history, starting with correspondence education in the 1960s (Josseran & Chaperon, 2001). Some popular correspondence programs, such as Refresher Courses in Anesthesiology, were initiated in the early 1970s (ASA, 1973). Online has become the dominant way of delivering CPD. Five years ago, Harris, Sklar, Amend, and...Read More

Interviews

Sample size Literature states that there is “no prescriptive sample size for a phenomenographic study” (Yates, Partridge, & Bruce, 2012, p. 103). Bowden (2005) suggested that the sample should be large enough to find sufficient variation in perceptions, but small enough that the amount of data is manageable. A concept close to sufficient variation in perceptions is the saturation point....Read More

Theoretical framework

Ontology. Social constructivism is my dominant worldview. It assumes that meanings are created in social interaction. They are constructed on individual and group/organizational/professional levels and influenced by numerous historical, cultural and technological factors. Epistemology. The social constructivism learning theory (Curran, Fleet, & Kirby, 2010; Vygotsky, 1978) is associated...Read More