Developing a valid and reliable assessment of knowledge translation (KT) for continuing professional development program of health professionals

CPD Success With Technagogy in Health Professions: Determinants and Merits

INTRODUCTION

Continuing professional development (CPD) has become a common strategy to address the gaps in knowledge and competencies during the pandemic. Given the drastic changes in the learning environment, this study explored "technagogy" or teaching with technology in CPD in the health professions.

METHODS

A mixed-methods study was used to ascertain the determinants and merits of CPD success from the participants' perspectives (n = 237). The quantitative data underwent structural equation modeling using partial least squares. We also thematically analyzed the qualitative responses and synthesized concurrent findings.

RESULTS

The structural model accounted for a 64% variance in the CPD success. Its significant direct predictors (P < .05) were instructional, curriculum, and nurturant effects. From the participants' experiences, we generated four themes as the merits of CPD: learning, teaching, knowledge, and technology scholarships. Finally, we constructed a synthesized model, the CPD Determinants and Intrinsic Assets in Learning, which can offer modest guidance in navigating CPD with technagogy.

DISCUSSION

The study findings emphasize the convergence and divergence points as considerations in teaching and learning with technology. It also offers valuable insights into relevant implications of technagogy in CPD, including its theory, practice, policy, and research.

Continuing Professional Development Needs Amongst University of Toronto's Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty

Continuing professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning are core tenets of most healthcare disciplines. Where undergraduate coursework lays the foundation for entry into practice, CPD courses and offerings are designed to aid clinicians in maintaining these competencies. CPD offerings need to be frequently revised and updated to ensure their continued utility. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the CPD needs of members of the University of Toronto's Department of Radiation Oncology (UTDRO) and determine how these needs could be generalized to other CPD programs. Given that UTDRO consists of members of various health disciplines (radiation therapist, medical physicists, radiation oncologists, etc.), eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with various health professionals from UTDRO. Inductive thematic analysis using qualitative data processing with NVivo® was undertaken. The data was coded, sorted into categories, and subsequently reviewed for emergent themes. Participants noted that a general lack of awareness and lack of access made participation in CPD programs difficult. Members also noted that topics were often impractical, irrelevant, or not inclusive of different professions. Some participants did not feel motivated to engage in CPD offerings due to a general lack of time and lack of incentive. To address the deficiencies of CPD programs, a formal needs assessment that engages stakeholders from different centers and health professions is required. Needs assessments of CPD programs should include analyzing elements related to access, how to utilize technology-enhanced learning (TEL), determine barriers to participation, and understand how to better engage members.

Disruptive Engagements With Technologies, Robotics, and Caring: Advancing the Transactive Relationship Theory of Nursing

Human caring, founded on a Japanese caring perspective and nursing theory, fosters innovative and creative ideas for an aging society. The growing reality of health care dependency on technology presents a temptation to give robots utility as partners in nursing practice. Human caring expressed in human-to-human relationships, and also between humans and nonhumans, is a futuristic model for health care, with humanoid robots as major supporters. The purpose of this article is to explore this disruptive technology, along with its functions and characteristics. Tanioka's Transactive Relationship Theory of Nursing is shared along with its relevance for addressing technological disruptions in health care.