The role of digital technology in providing education, training, continuing professional development and support to the rural health workforce

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Ramsden ◽  
Richard Colbran ◽  
Ellice Christopher ◽  
Michael Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Health Workforce ◽  
Education Training ◽  
The University

PurposeEducation, training and continuing professional development are amongst the evidence-based initiatives for attracting and retaining rural and remote health professionals. With rapidly increasing access to and use of digital technology worldwide, there are new opportunities to leverage training and support for those who are working in rural and remote areas. In this paper we determine the key elements associated with the utility of digital technologies to provide education, training, professional learning and support for rural health workforce outside the University and tertiary sector.Design/methodology/approachA scoping review of peer-reviewed literature from Australia, Canada, US and New Zealand was conducted in four bibliographic databases – Medline complete, CINAHL, Academic Search complete and Education Complete. Relevant studies published between January 2010 and September 2020 were identified. The Levac et al. (2010) enhanced methodology of the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework was used to analyse the literature.FindingsThe literature suggests there is mounting evidence demonstrating the potential for online platforms to address the challenges of rural health professional practice and the tyranny of distance. After analysing 22 publications, seven main themes were found – Knowledge and skills (n = 13), access (n = 10), information technology (n = 7), translation of knowledge into practice (n = 6), empowerment and confidence (n = 5), engagement (n = 5) and the need for support (n = 5). Ongoing evaluation will be critical to explore new opportunities for digital technology to demonstrate enhanced capability and retention of rural health professionals.Originality/valueTo date there has been limited examination of research that addresses the value of digital platforms on continuing professional development, education and support for rural health professionals outside the university and tertiary training sectors.

The reported benefits of telehealth for rural Australians

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Moffatt ◽  
Diann S. Eley
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Locations ◽  
Access To Health

Objective.A literature review was conducted to identify the reported benefits attributed to telehealth for people living and professionals working in rural and remote areas of Australia. Data sources.Scopus and relevant journals and websites were searched using the terms: telemedicine, telehealth, telepsychiatry, teledermatology, teleradiology, Australia, and each state and territory. Publications since 1998 were included. Study selection.The initial search resulted in 176 articles, which was reduced to 143 when research reporting on Australian rural, regional or remote populations was selected. Data synthesis.A narrative review was conducted using an existing ‘benefits’ framework. Patients are reported to have benefited from: lower costs and reduced inconvenience while accessing specialist health services; improved access to services and improved quality of clinical services. Health professionals are reported to have benefited from: access to continuing education and professional development; provision of enhanced local services; experiential learning, networking and collaboration. Discussion.Rural Australians have reportedly benefited from telehealth. The reported improved access and quality of clinical care available to rural Australians through telemedicine and telehealth may contribute to decreasing the urban–rural health disparities. The reported professional development opportunities and support from specialists through the use of telehealth may contribute to improved rural medical workforce recruitment and retention. What is known about the topic?An extensive international literature has reported on the efficacy of telehealth, and to a lesser extent the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine. Systematic reviews conclude that the quality of the studies preclude definitive conclusions being drawn about clinical and cost-effectiveness, although there is some evidence of effective clinical outcomes and the potential for cost-benefits. Little attention has been paid to the benefits reported for people who live in rural and remote Australia, despite this being a rationale for the use of telehealth in rural and remote locations. What does this paper add?Patients in rural and remote locations in Australia are reported to benefit from telehealth by increased access to health services and up-skilled health professionals. Health professionals are reported to benefit from telehealth by up-skilling from increased contact with specialists and increased access to professional development. The review findings suggest that one strategy, the increased use of telehealth, has the potential to reduce the inequitable access to health services and the poorer health status that many rural Australians experience, and contribute to addressing the on-going problem of the recruitment and retention of the rural health workforce. What are the implications for practitioners?The use of telehealth appears to be a path to up-skilling for rural and remote practitioners.

scholarly journals Beyond the workforce training pipeline: embracing the meandering stream of “whole of life” and career to strengthen the retention of health professionals rurally

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Colbran ◽  
Robyn Ramsden ◽  
Michael Edwards ◽  
Emer O'Callaghan ◽  
Dave Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Career Commitment ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Rural Workforce ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

PurposeWhile Australia has continued to invest in polices and strategies aimed at improving rural health service provision, many communities still confront a disproportionate share of the rural workforce shortage. The NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) contributes its perspectives about the importance of a whole of life career and the meandering stream concept to support the retention of health professionals rurally. We unpack these concepts and examine how they bring to light a new and useful approach to addressing rural workforce challenges and potentially contribute to building a stronger integrated care approach.Design/methodology/approachThe approach used involved tapping into RDN's 30-years of experience in recruitment and retention of remote and rural health professionals, combined with insights from relevant existing and emerging evidence.FindingsWe suggest that reframing retention to consider a life stage approach to career will guide more effective targeting of rural health policies, workforce planning, collaborative approaches and allocation of incentives. We posit that an understanding and acceptance of modern lifestyles and career pathways, and a celebration of career commitment to serving rural communities, is necessary for successful recruitment and retention of Australia's future rural health workforce beyond the training pipeline.Originality/valueWe outline and visually represent RDN's meandering stream approach to building and retaining a capable rural health workforce through addressing life cycle and workforce level needs. This perspective paper draws on RDN's direct experience in the field.

Measuring digital professional development: analytics for the use of web and social media

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Rhode ◽  
Stephanie Richter ◽  
Peter Gowen ◽  
Murali Krishnamurthi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Resource ◽  
The University ◽  
Development Center ◽  
Faculty Development Centers

Purpose – As faculty professional development increasingly occurs online and through social media, it becomes challenging to assess the quality of learning and effectiveness of programs and resources, yet it is important to evaluate such initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore how one faculty development center experimented with using analytics to answer questions about the use and effectiveness of its web and social media resources. Design/methodology/approach – The case study was based on direct observation of the center’s practice and review of selected data generated by the analytic tools. Findings – Unfortunately, while some analytics are available from a variety of sources, they are often distributed across tools and services. The center developed an analytics strategy to use data from Google Analytics and social media reporting tools to assess the use of online and social professional development resources. Initial results show that the center’s online and social professional development resources are widely used, both within and outside the university. However, more work is necessary to improve the strength and scope of the available analytics. Practical implications – As a result of the analysis, the center has streamlined online resources, targeted social media use, and has begun developing methods to allow faculty to report online resource use as professional development for academic personnel purposes. Originality/value – Many faculty development centers have not explored methods of evaluating online and social media resources. This paper outlines a strategic evaluation plan to measure the usage of online resources as well as engagement and interaction through social media.

scholarly journals Online multidisciplinary integrated rural healthcare education programs during the COVID-19 pandemic for students from different universities: experiences and guidelines

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Barraclough ◽  
Sabrina Pit
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Teaching Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to “forced innovation” in the health education industry. High-quality training of the future rural health workforce is crucial to ensure a pipeline of rural health practitioners to meet the needs of rural communities. This paper describes the implementation of an online multidisciplinary teaching program focusing on integrated care and the needs of rural communities.Design/methodology/approachA multidisciplinary teaching program was adapted to allow students from various disciplines and universities to learn together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contemporary issues such as the National Aged Care Advocacy Program for Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Project were explored during the program.FindingsThis case study describes how the program was adopted, how learning needs were met, practical examples (e.g. the Hand Hygiene Advocacy within a Rural School Setting Project), the challenges faced and solutions developed to address these challenges. Guidelines are proposed for remote multidisciplinary learning among health professional students, including those in medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and allied health disciplines.Originality/valueThe originality of this program centers around students from multiple universities and disciplines and various year levels learning together in a rural area over an extended period of time. Collaboration among universities assists educators in rural areas to achieve critical mass to teach students. In addition it provides experiences and guidance for the work integrated learning sector, rural health workforce practitioners, rural clinical schools, universities, policy makers, and educators who wish to expand rural online multidisciplinary learning.

scholarly journals Professional development of sustainability competences in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Lambrechts ◽  
Elli Verhulst ◽  
Sara Rymenams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to provide insights into the relation between professional development (PD) and organisational change processes towards sustainability, with a specific focus on empowerment. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds upon a constructivist approach, combining a literature review, a desk research on key publications and reports and a socio-political analysis to reveal the specific context in Flanders, Belgium. Findings are then connected to earlier insights from research on organisational change for sustainability. Findings The paper provides a number of PD initiatives that focus on sustainability in general and in a single higher education (HE) institution. Framing such initiatives as an organisational change process offers insights on how elements of empowerment are currently incorporated in PD initiatives and how it can strengthen them to lead to the further integration of sustainability competences in HE. Research limitations/implications Limitations are linked with the kind of sources used in the constructivist approach. The analysis only looks at written reports on the topic, albeit it also builds upon the first-hand experiences of educators in the HE institution focused upon in the case. Practical implications There is a need to frame PD initiatives as an organisational change process towards sustainability with specific attention towards empowerment. Without this framing, PD approaches comprise the risk of being left in the margins or being understood as single initiatives without any connection to the bigger picture, i.e. the transition towards sustainability in HE. Social implications Interlinking PD and organisational change provides opportunities to frame the sustainability transition within the university in a wider societal context. Originality/value The paper provides an original contribution to the debate on sustainability competences, as it frames the PD within an organisational context, rather than focusing on the individual role of educators.

Enabling Professional Development with E-Portfolios

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Lygo-Baker ◽  
Stylianos Hatzipanagos
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Career Progression ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Personalised Learning ◽  
Presentation Tool

Portfolios have been used for assessment in higher education as an alternative to exams and assignments. E-portfolios offer staff a digital technology that can be both a personalised learning space, owned and controlled by the learner, and a presentation tool which can be used for formal assessment purposes. However, this can result in a tension between process and product, where e-portfolios become electronic repositories of resources that simply tick boxes for career progression. The paper reports on a project that investigated the use of e-portfolios by teaching practitioners developing a critical portfolio of evidence for an award-bearing academic development programme. An e-portfolio had been adopted to address criticisms that conventional assessment fails to take account of the context in which teaching practitioners operate. The project aimed to enable teaching practitioners to access and gain familiarity with pedagogically sound e-portfolio opportunities. In addition, it aimed to foster a reflective approach, promote critical thinking focused on learning and teaching and enhance continuing professional development.

Continuing professional development and special librarians in Jamaica

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marsha-Gay Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Information Network ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
The Government ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the continuing professional development (CPD) activities undertaken by special librarians in Jamaica, their motivation, the challenges faced and the areas of interest for professional development. Design/methodology/approach Special librarians working in Jamaica were surveyed using an online questionnaire which was disseminated via e-mail. Findings The study indicates that special librarians in Jamaica were engaged in both formal and informal CPD activities. They were motivated by factors such as keeping up to date with changes in librarianship and personal satisfaction. Challenges to participating in CPD include, lack of funding, time constraints and lack of worthwhile options. Areas of interest for CPD were mainly information technology-based. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to the contact lists of the special libraries section of the Library and Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA) and the Government Library and Information Network of the Jamaica Library and Information Network (JAMLIN). Practical implications The results have implications for the planning and implementation of continuing professional activities for Jamaica’s special librarians. It also fills a gap in library literature regarding the continuing professional activities of special librarians. Originality/value The paper is one of few studies focusing on the CPD activities of special librarians undertaken in a developing country.

Teaching and Continuing Professional Development: an Italian experience

2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Putoto
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Clinical Governance ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Italian Experience ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Development Of Competencies ◽  
Knowledge Competencies ◽  
The University

AbstractContinuing Professional Development (CPD) is a key factor for effective implementation of Clinical Governance. The development of a quality system is, in fact, strictly related to the development of competencies of healthcare professionals. Lifelong learning has emerged as a new paradigm that underlines the need to maintain and continuously improve knowledge, competencies and attitudes in the changing scenario of healthcare systems. CPD accreditation is another fundamental issue and a variety of voluntary and compulsory approaches can be recognised at an international level. The experience of the University Hospital of Padova may be useful to demonstrate that CPD can be addressed to implement a Clinical Governance project.

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