Interviews with Global Pharmacists and Healthcare Professionals in Great Britain to Establish Personal Experiences around Professional Development Activity

Professional development activity is needed to ensure practitioners are up to date and providing optimal patient care. This includes, but is not restricted to, mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) or continuing education (CE) requirements, which differ by professions globally and within countries. This study aimed to investigate perceptions, participation, and individual practice for healthcare professionals in Great Britain (GB) and pharmacists globally to identify similarities and differences after the introduction of revalidation for pharmacists in GB. Qualitative data was received through interviews, which was analysed using content analysis. In total, 24 interviews were completed with pharmacists registered globally, and healthcare professionals registered in GB. A culture of CPD was seen for healthcare professionals in GB and globally for pharmacists; there was no consistent model. Face-to-face activity was common, with an increase in online provision, especially where large geographies were seen. Most learning was completed in the professional’s own time. Multiple providers were seen, with the evaluation of events using questionnaires being commonplace. Different formats of learning were useful for different topics, with skills learning being better when face-to-face. Although varied requirements were in place, regulation should support patient-based practice outcomes. This study showed that commitment to learning was similar in different professions in GB and by pharmacists globally, with similar benefits and challenges.

DIDACTICAL DESIGN RESEARCH BASED REFLECTION PRACTICE IN TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Reflection practice is a form of teacher professional development activity that has become the focus of study, research, and discussion in several scientific forums. The practice of reflection used so far is lesson study and educational action research. Didactical design research is one form of educational design research. DDR for mathematics teachers has been widely developing in Indonesia, both at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. This service program begins with an introduction to Didactical Design Research. Form and its characteristics of didactical design research provide through a zoom meeting, and it will continue with the creation and development of a didactic design for learning mathematics based on the problems faced by the teacher. After the participants' activities, especially teachers, based on the results of the questionnaire response analysis of knowledge and understanding related to the concept of didactical design research, then the practice of reflection based on didactical design research increases and is ready for a workshop.

INDONESIAN MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF CONTENT AND STUDENTS OF AREA AND PERIMETER OF RECTANGLE

Measuring teachers' skills and competencies is necessary to ensure teacher quality and contribute to education quality. Research has shown teachers competencies and skills influence students’ performances. Previous studies explored teachers’ knowledge through testing. Teachers' knowledge of the topic of area-perimeter and teaching strategies has been assessed through testing. In general, items or tasks to assess mathematics teacher knowledge in the previous studies were dominated by subject matter knowledge problems. Thus, it seems that the assessment has not fully covered the full range of teacher knowledge and competencies. In this study, the researchers investigated mathematics teachers’ Knowledge of Content and Students (KCS) through lesson plans developed by the teachers. To accommodate the gap in the previous studies, this study focuses on KCS on the topic of area-perimeter through their designed lesson plans. Twenty-nine mathematics teachers attended a professional development activity voluntarily participated in this study. Two teachers were selected to be the focus of this case study. Content analysis of the lesson plan and semi-structured interviews were conducted, and then data were analyzed. It revealed that the participating teachers were challenged when making predictions of students' possible responses. They seemed unaware of the ordinary students' strategies used to solve maximizing area from a given perimeter. With limited knowledge of students' possible strategies and mistakes, these teachers were poorly prepared to support student learning.

Experience with a Clinical Audit Requirement for Interns in the Emergency Department

Background: The clinical audit is an important evaluation tool to ensure quality assurance. A clinical audit requirement for interns during their emergency department (ED) term may be a valuable educational activity. Methods: The Emergency Audit Initiative (EAI) Program was initiated at Redcliffe Hospital in January 2018. Interns, who were paired with a staff specialist audit mentor, chose a topic of interest and carried out a clinical audit during their 10-week ED term. At the end of term, interns formally presented audit findings in a grand round setting. Interns and staff specialists were surveyed at the end of the intern year regarding aspects of the program. Surveys aimed to assess: (1) value of the program as an educational activity, (2) availability of time and resources to conduct the audit, and (3) perceived impact on practice. Results: During the first year of the program, 27 clinical audits were carried out. 16 interns (59%) and 8 staff specialists (57%) responded to the surveys. Interns and staff specialists reported that the audit was a valuable educational experience (88% and 100%). Interns also reported that they had adequate time (94%) and resources (81%) to conduct the audit. Interns and staff specialists however reported only a modest impact on clinical practice because of the audit program. Conclusions: Our experience with the EAI program suggests that incorporating a clinical audit requirement into the ED term is possible. Interns and staff specialists reported it to be a beneficial educational and professional development activity.

Perceived outcomes and SWOT analysis of a virtual community of practice in Burkina Faso

Background In Burkina Faso, maternity is a risk. Global Affairs Canada funded the initiative PASME-2 with World University Service of Canada, Laval University and Farm Radio International to improve maternal outcomes. A preventative program was co-developed in phases. Phase 3 received funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in partnership with the Centre for International Cooperation in Health and Development (CCISD) and TIESS, a liaison and transfer expert in Québec, to support local teams towards sustainable practice changes. This research aimed at documenting the partnership experience, digital literacy, perceived direct and indirect outcomes. Methods A participative co-design approach, allowed the engagement of several stakeholders in the process. Two active phases where 16 health professionals engaged actively in the VCoP, according to the final agreed-upon Constitutional Chart, are presented. The phases pilot-tested two different technology tools. Results 16 interviews post-phase 1 and 16 interviews post-phase 2 were conducted. Implementation issues as perceived by users are discussed and include: feasibility, challenges, needs, animation, relevance to care, communication and sharing, use and perspectives. Perceived outcomes focus on professional preventative practice changes, skills, family outcomes, challenges to practice integration, knowledge and practice exchanges. Conclusions The phases of experimentation demonstrate that strategies can be put in place to counter the digital literacy challenges and to engage users in new ways of communicating, sharing on the platform about health practices and taking valuable time to do it. Overcoming technology constraints is essential especially in lower resource settings. The most practical life experiences and cases lead to more engagement and innovations. Support from management and upper directorate is significant. Key messages Partnership from several stakeholders is key to implementing a VCoP. Experimenting and sharing solutions is influenced by the capacitating environment that the VCoP can provide with recognition from administration and as a professional development activity.