Improving the effectiveness of short‐term courses for multidisciplinary health care professionals

The Practical Diabetology (PD) course for multidisciplinary health care professionals (HCPs) is directed at building a team-based approach to diabetes care delivery. Participants were asked to apply course learning to identify deficiencies in care delivery in their own settings and develop action plans to improve care and continuing self-development. The objective of the study was to evaluate the short- and mid-term impact of seven PD courses held between March 2011 and March 2012. Three methods of assessment were carried out: an end of course evaluation; pre- and post-tests to assess gain in knowledge and change in attitudes; and self-assessment of action plan implementation at six months to determine level of behaviour change. In total, 327 multidisciplinary HCPs participated in the seven PD courses. End of course evaluation indicated that the PD course was valued by course participants in terms of relevance of the topics and learning experience. A significant gain in knowledge and positive changes in attitudes were seen immediately post course in both groups. Of the 160 action plans prepared by participating teams (consisting of at least two members each – one medical and one non-medical HCP), 68 (42.5%) were implemented. At six months, continued positive change was demonstrated through self-assessment of action plan implementation. PD courses were appreciated by the participants; significant gain in knowledge and positive change in selected attitudes were seen in the short term. Implementation of action plans helped enhance participants’ competency for teamwork, problem solving and self-development skills. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons.