Learning and Change
Medical knowledge is growing at an unprecidented pace…without any signs of stopping. Journals, webinars, live meetings, decision tools, simulators and AI attempt to provide the latest information to physicians and health care providers. CME providers play a pivitol role in disseminating knowledge to improve patient health. Yet knowledge alone doesn’t change practice or improve the patient experience. We need to change….
We embarked on a three phase project to understand how physicians perceive the change process in their practice, then examined how CE providers and quality improvement experts approach the change process. Learning can occur through asynchronous events. Change is an ongoing process driven by personal, social and professional forces. At its best, change engages multiple stakeholders working together to provide evidence based care focused on patients and their families. At its worst, change takes time and developing new systems and processes that work seamlessly together.
Now is the time to LEARN TO CHANGE in healthcare.
What Physicians told us.
Physicians described a longitudinal process that includes relevant data, offers motivation, addresses barriers, and provides meaningful feedback. They described a change process that lasts over several months. They access multiple resources through the learning process that are dependent on the nature of the needed change.
Change data collected through 3 focus groups, 33 personal interviews, and 300 survey responses. Responses analyzed by project team and multi-professional expert panel. Data collected in 2019.
What CME professionals told us.
CME providers excel at developing single topic education that meets credit requirements for health care professionals. Curriculum is designed for a common learner and may include patient needs for an average patient. Resources are provided including the latest evidence based materials and references. Barriers may be collected during the needs assessment process and included in the content. The providers completing this assessment noted that they don’t expressly address motivation for change. Evaluations capture change in knowledge and intent to change practice. Interprofessioal education encourages the participation across the health professions. Education programs focused on teams are limited to health systems.
These data were collected from 17 one-on-one interviews and 72 survey responses with CME providers in 2020. Respondents were recruited through ACEHP and broadly represent membership distribution.
What QI professionals told us.
QI professionals can play a pivitol role in partnership with CME providers working to address change in practice. The surveyed QI professionals evaluate the need for knowledge to support change and relevant data. Their efforts are team based and data driven, offering continuous feedback. Barriers are addressed as they are encountered. Coaching, focus on patient safety and system resources are frequently incorporated into QI initiatives.
These data were collected from one-on-one interviews with 9 QI professionals in 2020.
What are the components that support change in practice? From the experiences of the 10 CME providers that engaged in our year long learning and change collaborative, we identified 5 best practices. While these don’t guarantee change, they encourage health care providers to work together as they address patient care.