Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Continuing education activities for clinicians are often not based on best evidence and have relied on pharmaceutical industry support, which can be problematic. The Therapeutics Initiative has developed a strategy to overcome these issues.
Objectives: 1. To provide ethically sound source of knowledge based on systematic reviews that is not dependent on industry funding. 2. To establish a sustainable and collaborative knowledge exchange environment between physicians and pharmacists. 3. To develop tools to transfer evidence from systematic reviews into practice that accommodate different learning styles and different access to educational opportunities.
Methods: We formed of a team of knowledge-users, academic researchers, and educators to develop a comprehensive multi-faceted continuing education strategy. We created learning environment that enables physicians and pharmacists to learn together. 3) developed the following educational tools that cater to the needs of different clinicians with different warning styles and different access to continuing education opportunities. • website with access to all educational tools • medical evidence podcasts • evidence summaries • case-based workshops • critical appraisal courses. We developed an educational strategy that is primarily grant funded and has no pharmaceutical industry input.
Results: There were three educational events with 15 topics and over 250 practitioners in which over 90% of participants agreed; • the information was practical, • it was productive to work with colleague, • provided excellent information and • would attend again. Material for these events was used subsequently for over 50 presentations with smaller groups at hospitals in British Columbia (BC) Canada. There were over 20 presentations onteaching clinicians how to critically appraise the literature, four therapeutic letters which tere senw to over 14000 physicians and pharmacists in BC and over 5000 online users five podcast which elaborate on the systematic reviews and newsletters.
Conclusions: The Therapeutics Initiative has been successful in providing best evidence to front-line clinicians in an ethically sound environment.
Objectives: 1. To provide ethically sound source of knowledge based on systematic reviews that is not dependent on industry funding. 2. To establish a sustainable and collaborative knowledge exchange environment between physicians and pharmacists. 3. To develop tools to transfer evidence from systematic reviews into practice that accommodate different learning styles and different access to educational opportunities.
Methods: We formed of a team of knowledge-users, academic researchers, and educators to develop a comprehensive multi-faceted continuing education strategy. We created learning environment that enables physicians and pharmacists to learn together. 3) developed the following educational tools that cater to the needs of different clinicians with different warning styles and different access to continuing education opportunities. • website with access to all educational tools • medical evidence podcasts • evidence summaries • case-based workshops • critical appraisal courses. We developed an educational strategy that is primarily grant funded and has no pharmaceutical industry input.
Results: There were three educational events with 15 topics and over 250 practitioners in which over 90% of participants agreed; • the information was practical, • it was productive to work with colleague, • provided excellent information and • would attend again. Material for these events was used subsequently for over 50 presentations with smaller groups at hospitals in British Columbia (BC) Canada. There were over 20 presentations onteaching clinicians how to critically appraise the literature, four therapeutic letters which tere senw to over 14000 physicians and pharmacists in BC and over 5000 online users five podcast which elaborate on the systematic reviews and newsletters.
Conclusions: The Therapeutics Initiative has been successful in providing best evidence to front-line clinicians in an ethically sound environment.