The document summarizes a presentation on the evolving role of new media in online learning for healthcare communications. It discusses how social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are being used in healthcare. It also addresses challenges of engaging physicians through online continuing medical education (eCME) and the need for outcomes evaluation to drive positive change in physician knowledge, competence and patient outcomes.
1. The Evolving Role of New Media in Online Learning: Lessons for Healthcare Communications Lawrence Sherman, FACME, CCMEP Stony Brook University October 5, 2010
29. Maximizing Physician Participation Goes Beyond Just Attracting an Audience RIGHT CONTENT New Science Updates to Guidelines Patient Education Engage physicians with education that will improve their competence and performance in practice RIGHT CLINICIAN Degree Patient Population Practice Demographic RIGHT EDUCATION Channel Format Design
36. Clinical Cases & Images blog Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
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39. Educational Effectiveness Adult Learning Principles Sources: AHRQ, Grimshaw et al, and many others Application-focused Knowledge-focused Active engagement Passive participation Personalized content Generalized content Multiple media methods One media method Multiple interventions One intervention Learner-centered Faculty-centered MORE EFFECTIVE LESS EFFECTIVE
51. eCME Provides a Mechanism For Using The Latest Information Presented
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54. Evaluate at the Level Promised Community Health (Level 7) How many healthcare providers participated? Can participants state what the activity intended them to know? Were participant expectations met? Did the health status of patients improve due to changes in the practice behavior of participants? Did the health status of a community of patients change due to changes in the practice behavior of participants? Moore DE Jr, Green JS, Gallis HA. Achieving desired results and improved outcomes: integrating planning and assessment throughout learning activities. JCEP . 2009 Winter;29(1):1-15. Can participants state how to do what the activity intended them to know how to do? Can participants show in an educational setting how to do what the activity intended them to know how to do? Can participants do what the activity intended them to be able to do in their practices?
There has been a great evolution in eCME and technology-based CME Technology has always played a role in CME Increasing use of technology to deliver CME continues to be seen There are roles for technology beyond just delivery and evaluation in CME
Let’s talk about how physicians communicate their ideas to each other to inform their practice of medicine. The production of knowledge in medicine is still dominated by traditional formats such as journal articles, print textbooks and e-books, and conferences like this one. Physicians also communicate informally in their daily work through conversations; meeting for coffee, talking about patient care, individual cases and teaching residents. This process of talking, having conversations, in a community of practice is critical for physicians. Making knowledge through conversations, sorting through ideas and research, is a process of understanding, being critical, and applying information in a meaningful context, what Lave and Wenger call a “community of practice”. doctors, in general, are constantly communicating with one another about medicine whether formally (journals, conferences, meetings, CME sessions, etc) or informally (on the floor, during breaks, online, at home, etc). Because of this, Web 2.0, which epitomizes constant communication, is a natural tool for doctors to use.
Doctors are social, and the practice of medicine is inherently social. And this is where Web 2.0 offers some direct and immediate opportunities for physicians. Put simply, Web 2.0 creates conversations. The software or tools – such as blogs and wikis – facilitate socialization. To be a good doctor, you need to know a lot, and medical education does a terrific job of teaching those facts. But a doctor needs to be able to communicate, especially with patients, what we might call a good bedside manner. Beyond that, doctors need to have methods for lifelong learning, and a digital means to process information through conversations. A new axiom I am using these days is that all knowledge begins with conversations, from an excellent book written by a librarian called “Thinking for a living: the coming age of knowledge work”. I recommend it highly if you are interested in the idea of a knowledge based economy. “ Socialmedia is NOT a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”
Physicians are embracing social networks as well. In a study done last year, 60% of physicians were interested in participating in physician only social networks.
So what is the social impact of web 2.0? Blogging for example is a stimulus for discussion, and to help physicians direct their knowledge management routines and current awareness. There are a number of useful educational blogs that I recommend to physicians: 1) Dr. Ves Dimov’s Clinical Cases and Images blog. There are other useful blogs by other physicians, such as KevinMd.com and a Stanford medical student’s blog called Over!my!med!body which provides a lot of insight into what med students are thinking and observing in their training. And of course librarians that are interested in searching are set up to help physicians find information, which is integral to doing their research.
Clinical cases and images blog, which was featured in the December 2006 BMJ.
There are a number of medical wikis in development, and here are a few good examples. i.e . AskDrWiki produced by the Cleveland Clinica is a good free source of x-rays, and other general medical information; FluWiki which is also physician developed is set up to help communities prepare for an outbreak of influenza; Ganfyd, a general medical wiki, stands for “get a note from your doctor” and is expert-moderated, which is to say that only phyisicians approved by the editor can contribute and edit entries; and PubDrug and wikisurgery are also worth looking at in some detail for the kinds of information they offer.
What these numbers demonstrate is that physicians are taking advantage of the tremendous opportunities CME activities provide for medical practitioners to keep up with new information affecting the delivery of medical care. While ongoing participation is required by most physician state licensing boards and the licensing boards for other types of healthcare providers, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners, both groups have the freedom to choose what types of programs they attend and in what mediums.