Partnerships for Knowledge Translation and Exchange in the Context of Continuing Professional Development

Abstract

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an important vehicle for knowledge translation (KT); however, selecting CPD strategies that will impact health professionals' behavior and improve patient outcomes is complex. In response, we, KT researchers and CPD knowledge users, have recently formed a partnership known as the National Network for Patient-Centered Evidence-Based Continuing Professional Development. The partnership was initiated in 2006 with a series of CIHR Knowledge Translation: Planning, Meetings and Dissemination grants. The objectives of these grants were to bring members of the CPD and KT communities together, determine their interest in working together, identify similarities and differences in the fields of CPD and KT, and develop working groups to inform larger collaborative initiatives to support knowledge translation and exchange. The vision for this partnership is to become a premiere knowledge translation collaboration and a cutting-edge implementation network that informs the provision of CPD across Canada and abroad. This paper reports on the development and outcomes of this network to date.

Development of a Simple 12-Item Theory-Based Instrument to Assess the Impact of Continuing Professional Development on Clinical Behavioral Intentions

“…Although designing CPD strategies that will impact health professionals' behavior and improve patient outcomes is complex, effective CPD is an essential vehicle for knowledge translation [88]. During our whole project, a strong partnership between researchers and CPD developers ensured that all concerns would be taken into account so that our final instrument would prove useful to both educators and researchers.…”

(Mis)perceptions of Continuing Education: Insights From Knowledge Translation, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety Leaders

“…In relation to the critiques offered of CE, it is useful to reflect on whether these are misperceptions requiring attention and discussion or whether they are limitations requiring further research and action. 12 A new Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) program called Aligning and Education for Quality is being implemented to help medical schools and teaching hospitals align their clinical quality improvement with their CME programs and activities. Issues identified in this study such as a narrow focus on participant attendance and limitations of self-perceived needs in CE are not new and have been addressed by CE leaders (See International Association for Medical Education [AMEE] Guide No.…”

“…10 Patient safety A domain in the health care sector that applies safety science methods toward the goal of achieving a trustworthy system of health care delivery. 2,5,[12][13][14] Given the immediate attention required to enhance patient safety and quality of care, it is timely to examine the boundaries and intersections among the four domains. 11 on the role of education in improving health care providers' practices, how to demonstrate the impact of CE interventions on health care outcomes, and the emerging area of interprofessional CE.…”

“…Preliminary work has shown that while CE, KT, QI, and PS have overlapping agendas, only minimal attention has been given to their intersections and opportunities for collaboration. 2,5,[12][13][14] Given the immediate attention required to enhance patient safety and quality of care, it is timely to examine the boundaries and intersections among the four domains. The argument for collaboration is further strengthened by the potential value derived by drawing upon different conceptual perspectives and by limited resources in health care for improvement interventions.…”

Interprofessional Education in Canadian Nursing Programs and Implications for Continuing Education

“…These limitations directly aff ect how students perceive and learn about interprofessional interactions and practices in the clinical setting, since, as stated previously, modelling is an infl uence on student learning. Further, the process of continuing IPE necessitates that mutual respect and trust exist within the group and context involved (Legare et al, 2011). If teams of healthcare professionals do not know how to work with each other due to a lack of knowledge about or respect for each other's professions, interprofessional learning will not be successfully demonstrated to students.…”