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Workplace injury management: Using new technology to deliver and evaluate physician Continuing Medical Education
RS2000/01-009
Final Report Date: July 2005
| Principal Investigator: |
Harry Karlinsky (University of British Columbia) |
| Co-investigators: | Celina Dunn (WorkSafeBC), Jill Musser (WorkSafeBC) |
For more information about this study, please contact Dr. Harry Karlinsky.
Issue
WorkSafeBC has a mandate to develop an educational plan for physicians involved in workplace injury management, and make the program available to physicians throughout BC. New technologies offer the opportunity to provide continuing medical education (CME) to physicians in ways that take into account barriers to physician access such as geography and demanding physician timetables.
This project developed and evaluated two workplace injury management-focused educational programs for BC physicians, using four different delivery formats: outreach visit, videoconference session, conference lecture, and online training.
Key findings
- The educational presentations, regardless of delivery format, significantly increased physicians' knowledge of the two subject areas (lateral epicondylitis, and physician's role in return-to-work).
- The two formats using new technologies (videoconference and online training) were at least as effective as conference lectures and instructor-led small group outreach sessions in their impact on physician knowledge.
Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of four different types of CME interventions in improving physician knowledge in two areas:
- lateral epicondylitis; and
- physician involvement in return-to-work planning.
Method
A prospective, controlled evaluation of two educational programs for BC physicians was conducted.
Educational modules were developed in two areas (lateral epicondylitis; physician role in return-to-work), and instructional content for each module was converted into the four delivery formats. A 14-item knowledge questionnaire was developed for pre- and post-testing.
The conference lecture format was delivered at the 2002 annual Physician Education Conference. Outreach and videoconference formats were each delivered in ten communities throughout BC. The online modules were advertised in the BC Medical Association Journal and on WorkSafeBC's website, and by fax to physicians listed in the BC Medical Practitioners directory.
Statistical analyses were conducted to assess the before and after knowledge levels for each content area, and to compare the impacts of each type of delivery format.
Results
There were a total of 202 participants for the lateral epicondylitis modules (total for all formats combined) and 156 for the return-to-work modules.
All delivery formats in both content areas were associated with significant increases in physician knowledge based on pre- and post-test results. The formats using new technologies (video conferencing and online training) were found to be at least as effective as the lecture and outreach visit formats.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that videoconferencing and online learning activities are effective and can be used to increase physician access to workplace injury related CME.
Future directions
While this study demonstrated the impact of CME interventions on physician knowledge, further research is needed to examine the effectiveness of CME in terms of physician behaviour and functional outcome improvement for patients. Future research is also recommended to examine the impact of modifying delivery methods, such as by making online modules more interactive.
Publications
Karlinsky H, Dunn C, et al. Poster - Workplace Injury Management: Using New Technology to Deliver and Evaluate Physician Continuing Medical Education. Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) Public Forum 2005. Vancouver, July 25, 2005 (Co-Winner, Best Research Poster).