Introduction Health and social service providers have limited expertise with regard to assessing and treating psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The aim of this study was to describe the development and pilot evaluation of a virtual capacity-building program (Project ECHO) focused on supporting the mental health of adults with these disabilities in Ontario, Canada.Method The pilot program consisted of 12 weekly 1.5 hour sessions hosted through a video-conferencing platform, with a combined focus of didactic teaching and case-based learning, led by an interprofessional team of subject matter experts. The program evaluation was informed by Moore's evaluation framework for continuing medical education. Ongoing attendance tracking, weekly surveys, and pre-post questionnaires were used to evaluate participation, satisfaction, learning and self-efficacy, and practice change.Results The program included 62 participants from across Ontario, Canada, from both the health and social service sectors. Seventy-three percent of participants attended six or more sessions, with high participant satisfaction ratings seen with the program. A statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy mean scores of 14.7% was observed pre-post. Seventy-four percent of respondents indicated that they had changed their practice because of participating in this ECHO.Conclusion Good participant retention, satisfaction, and increased confidence suggests this cross-sector virtual medical education program may have value for health and social service providers as they support the mental health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). During this period of uncertainty and need for up-to-date information, various virtual training programmes demonstrated the role of tele-mentoring programmes.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether Candida albicans , and other Candida spp. responsible for HIV‐associated candidosis, could be sensitised to killing by low‐power laser light. Suspensions of C. albicans were treated with a number of potential photosensitisers, exposed to laser light from a Helium/ Neon (HeNe) or Gallium aluminium arsenide (GaAs) laser for 120 s and survivors enumerated. Toluidine blue O (TBO), thionin and crystal violet were able to sensitise the yeast to killing by light from the HeNe laser (energy dose = 876 mJ at a density of 66.36 J/cm 2 ), the kills achieved being 6.8 × 10 6 cfu/ml, 3.1 × 10 6 cfu/ml and 1.3 × 10 6 cfu/ml respectively. TBO was also able to sensitise several other Candida spp. to killing by HeNe laser light. Dihaematoporphyrin ester was not an effective photosensitiser under the conditions employed. Methylene blue, but not aluminium disulphonated phthalocyanine, was able to sensitise C. albicans to killing by light from the GaAs laser (energy dose 1.32 J at a density of 2.04 J/cm 2 ). The viability of the yeast was not affected by exposure to laser light in the absence of the photosensitisers. As killing of dye‐sensitised C. albicans , and other Candida spp., could be achieved by exposure to low‐power laser light for short periods of time, this approach merits further investigation as a potential therapeutic modality for HIV‐associated candidosis.
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