Good for patients but not learners? Exploring faculty and learner virtual care integration

Exploring the Perspectives of Older Adults Living With HIV on Virtual Care: Qualitative Study

Background

As the population of individuals with HIV ages rapidly due to advancements in antiretroviral therapy, virtual care has become an increasingly vital component in managing their complex health needs. However, little is known about perceptions of virtual care among older adults living with HIV.

Objective

This study aimed to understand the perceptions of older adults living with HIV regarding virtual care.

Methods

Using an interpretive, qualitative, descriptive methodology, semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 diverse older adults living with HIV. The participants lived in Ontario, Canada, self-identified as HIV-positive, and were aged 50 years or older. Efforts were made to recruit individuals with varying experience with virtual health care. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted with the interview transcripts to identify prevalent themes.

Results

The identified themes included (1) the importance of relationships in virtual care for older adults living with HIV; (2) privacy and confidentiality in virtual care; and (3) challenges and solutions related to access and technological barriers in virtual care. These themes highlight the perceptions of diverse older adults living with HIV concerning virtual care, emphasizing the fundamental role of trust, privacy, and technology access.

Conclusions

By embracing the unique perspectives and experiences of this population, we can work toward building more inclusive and responsive health care systems that meet the needs of all individuals, regardless of age, HIV status, or other intersecting identities.

Educators' perceptions and experiences of online teaching to foster caring professions students' development of virtual caring skills: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Professionals in caring disciplines have been pivotal in advancing virtual care, which leverages remote technologies to deliver effective support and services from a distance. Educators in these caring professions are required to teach students the skills and competencies needed to provide high-quality and effective care and as virtual care becomes more integral, educators must equip students in these fields with both interpersonal and technological skills, bridging traditional hands-on learning with digital literacy. However, there is a gap in evidence exploring educators' perceptions and experiences of teaching caring professions students about virtual caring skills within online environments.

OBJECTIVE

To better understand caring professional educators' online teaching experiences to foster student development of virtual caring skills and competencies.

METHODS

We employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, that integrated a cross-sectional survey and individual interviews with educators from caring professions, to better understand caring professional educators' online teaching experiences to foster student development of virtual caring skills and competencies. The survey's primary objectives were to examine the various elements of existing e-learning opportunities, delve into educators' perspectives and encounters with these opportunities, and identify the factors that either facilitated or hindered online teaching practices to support students in developing virtual caring skills and competencies. The individual interview guides were based on survey findings and a systematic review of the evidence to gain deeper insights into educators' experiences and perspectives.

RESULTS

A total of 82 survey and 8 interview participants were drawn from educators from Education, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. Various instructional methods were utilized to help students develop virtual caring skills including reflections on learning, online modules, online discussion boards, demonstrations of remote care and consultation with clients. There was a statistically significant difference between educators' level of experience teaching online and their satisfaction with online teaching and learning technologies (p < .001) and between educators' faculties (department) and their satisfaction with online teaching and learning technologies (p = .001). Participants identified barriers (time constraints, underdeveloped curriculum, decreased student engagement and limited access to virtual caring equipment and technology), facilitators (clearly defined learning objectives, technology software and support, teaching support, stakeholder engagement, and flexibility), and principles of teaching virtual caring skills in online environments (connection, interaction, compassion, empathy, care, and vulnerability).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identifies the barriers, facilitators, and principles in teaching virtual caring skills, offering practical strategies for educators in caring professions. This study contributes to the growing body of educational research on virtual caring skills by offering educator insights and suggestions for improved teaching and learning strategies in caring professions' programs. As educational practices evolve, future research should explore how traditionally in-person educators can effectively teach virtual caring skills across diverse contexts.

CLINICALTRIAL

Exploring the educational value of the general surgical outpatient clinic: a systematic review

Purpose

Optimising opportunities for exposure and learning in the clinical environment is a priority for surgical education. The surgical outpatient clinic provides a setting for engaging with the patient journey while gaining essential surgical knowledge and skills. This systematic review seeks to determine the role of the outpatient clinic in current surgical education for multiple levels of learners and identify strategies to improve educational utility.

Methods

A systematic search strategy was conducted across Medline (OVID), Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases according to PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive grey literature search for evaluation of international postgraduate surgical curricula was also performed. Publications were included if they discussed or utilised the general surgical outpatient clinic in an educational context.

Results

Nine publications were included in this review. Educational interventions in a surgical outpatient clinic setting were discussed in three publications and two publications presented observational data relating to educational opportunities in the surgical outpatient clinic. Four postgraduate surgical curricula outlined the current approaches to surgical education in the outpatient clinic setting. Assessment of included studies by Kirkpatrick level of evidence highlighted that included studies did not investigate high-order educational outcomes. Thematic analysis of curricula was utilised to build a common set of learning outcomes.

Conclusions

Educational interventions were found to improve learning outcomes, particularly those that facilitated active student participation. Postgraduate surgical curricula utilise the surgical outpatient clinic and recognise its importance in surgical training through the implementation of outpatient-based learning objectives which serve as fundamental components of training. Common learning objectives can be used to direct further research into the efficacy of this educational context.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44186-023-00106-8.

Virtual care is growing, but who will train upcoming learners to practice it?

Lee and Kron describe the current use of virtual care to explain why faculty are reluctant to engage in education in that context in an effort to propose ways to promote better learner integration.