Background: In Ethiopia, 17.6% of the population has disabilities. Research has largely overlooked students with disabilities (SWDs), focusing instead on caregivers, teachers and officials. Objectives: The current study sought to include SWD voices by examining their experiences and identifying barriers and enablers to education in Ethiopia. Method: A participatory action research approach with a critical theory lens, engaging SWDs in two phases was carried out. In phase one, student researchers received training through collaboratively developed modules on research concepts, questions, tools and data analysis. Student researchers identified, co-created, refined and finalised the study methods. In phase two, student researchers conducted 18 interviews and two focus group discussions. Results: Results indicated that physical, sensory and financial inaccessibility negatively influenced the social lives of SWDs, reinforced stigmatising societal perspectives and disadvantaged them compared to their peers without disabilities. Stigma led to feelings of hopelessness and social exclusion. However, having a supportive (‘threshold’) person or organisation, individual grit, love and trust in education and a desire to defy critics (i.e. positive revenge) contributed to student success. Conclusion: Early interventions are vital for supporting SWDs in engaging with education. A dedicated advocate can significantly impact their success. Contribution: This study contributes to disability studies and inclusive policy by centring the voices of SWDs in Ethiopia, highlighting their lived experiences. It offers practical insights into how systemic stigma, inadequate infrastructure and limited psychosocial support hinder inclusion, while support systems, personal resilience and early interventions enhance educational success.

While ambient artificial intelligence (AI) scribes have been received positively by primary care physicians, the perceptions of resident physicians are not yet unclear. We conducted a qualitative study involving focus groups with first and second-year family resident physicians from a single urban academic family health team to gauge their understanding of ambient AI scribing and their perceptions of its potential impact on patient care. Seven resident physicians participated in two focus groups. Sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, then analyzed inductively to identify themes. We categorized the findings into five themes: 1) understanding of and exposure to AI, 2) perceived impact of ambient AI scribing on the practice of family medicine, 3) perceived impact on the cognitive load of charting, 4) performance and accuracy of ambient AI scribes, and 5) implications for adoption. Residents in this study reported minimal exposure to AI and concerns regarding the impacts of ambient AI scribing on the documentation process and quality of notes. Future research should explore the potential effects of ambient scribes on resident documentation prior to testing in practice. ### Competing Interest Statement Dr. Rajaram co-founded and serves as the Chief Product Officer of 12676362 Canada Inc (doing business as Caddie Health), a start-up developing medical billing software for physicians. He owns equity in the company. The company is no longer active commercially and their product was not related to ambient scribing. Dr. Coderre-Ball is an employee of the Centre for Effective Practice, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing trusted, evidence-based tools, resources and programs for healthcare providers. She participated in this project in her capacity as adjunct assistant professor at the Department of Family Medicine. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The Health Sciences Research Ethics Board of Queen's University gave ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are not available.

Africa is currently facing unprecedented growth in its cancer burden. Training an adequate number of skilled physicians is critical to addressing this challenge. We examine African oncology faculty’s professional development (PD) activities, associated barriers, enablers, satisfaction levels, and highlight the implications for improving the quality of the oncology faculty workforce in SSA. We surveyed oncology faculty (n = 69) through the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer listserv and conducted semi-structured interviews with nine (n = 9) faculty involved in African oncology training programs to ascertain their views on PD activities including, method of delivery, curriculum development, teaching, learning, and mentorship. Descriptive, inferential, and thematic analytical techniques were used to analyze the data. Ninety-two percent of African oncology faculty have participated in a PD activity and about 34

ObjectivesWork addiction is not contingent on personality alone; it is also impacted by social contextual factors. Work addiction influences the perceived quality of care and intention to remain in healthcare sector. The current study seeks to understand the role of ethical climate as a potential organisational lever to reduce such addiction, especially among newcomers.DesignWe contacted a sample of Canadian healthcare organisations to collect quantitative data using an online questionnaire from November 2021 to February 2022. All constructs (ethical climate, work addiction, perceived quality of care, intention to quit the profession) were measured using validated psychometric scales. 860 respondents provided complete questionnaires. We analysed the data using structural equation modelling and regression analysis.ResultsWork addiction mediated the indirect relationship between ethical climate and the intention to quit the profession (β=−0.053; 95% CI (−0.083 to –0.029); p<0.001) and with quality of care (β=0.049; 95% CI (0.028, 0.077); p<0.001). For each increase of 1 SD of ethical climate, the total effects regarding the variations in the outcomes were more important at low rather than high levels of tenure for work addiction (−11%, −2%), perceived quality of care (23%, 11%) and intention to quit the profession (−30%, −23%), respectively.ConclusionEthical climate in healthcare organisations has a significant and beneficial relationship with healthcare workers’ (HCWs) work addiction behaviours. In turn, this relationship is related to greater perceived quality of care and higher intention to remain, especially for HCWs with lower tenure.

Lyme disease (LD) is the most commonly diagnosed tick-borne disease in North America and parts of Europe. Current mitigation strategies rely on personal protective behaviours, early diagnosis, and antibiotic treatment. This review updates on previous reviews on educational interventions for the prevention of LD and examines the impact of different interventions on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of healthcare professionals and the general public. We searched six databases for studies reporting participant assessment on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to LD. We included studies targeting the public as well as healthcare professionals. We used keywords related to Lyme disease, health knowledge, attitudes, practices, community, health education, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Fourteen studies were included in this review; 13 reported educational interventions focused on the prevention of LD in the public, and one on physicians’ diagnosis of LD. Regardless of the type of intervention, the public’s knowledge (11/13 studies) were generally observed to improve post-intervention, though changes to preventive behaviours and attitudes were inconsistent. A key finding in this study was that no studies reported outcomes from interventions targeted at educating healthcare professionals on their knowledge of LD, or how to treat LD. Our review demonstrated that public health interventions enhance assessed and/or perceived LD knowledge. However, more research is needed to investigate interventions directed at healthcare professionals across the spectrum of LD: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of early, late and post-treatment illness. PROSPERO 2019.

Background Conflicts of interest inherent in industry funding can bias medical research methods, outcomes, reporting and clinical applications. This study explored the extent of funding provided to American physician researchers studying surgical mesh used to treat uterine prolapse or stress urinary incontinence, and whether that funding was declared by researchers or influenced the ethical integrity of resulting publications in peer reviewed journals. Methods Publications identified via a Pubmed search (2014-2021) of the terms mesh and pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence and with at least one US physician author were reviewed. Using the CMS Open Payments database industry funding received by those MDs in the year before, of and after publication was recorded, as were each study's declarations of funding and 14 quality measures. Results Fifty-three of the 56 studies reviewed had at least one American MD author who received industry funding in the year of, or one year before or after publication. For 47 articles this funding was not declared. Of 247 physician authors, 60% received > $100 while 13% received $100,000-$1,000,000 of which approximately 60% was undeclared. While 57% of the studies reviewed explicitly concluded that mesh was safe, only 39% of outcomes supported this. Neither the quality indicator of follow-up duration nor overall statements as to mesh safety varied with declaration status. Conclusions Journal editors' guidelines re declaring conflicts of interest are not being followed. Financial involvement of industry in mesh research is extensive, often undeclared, and may shape the quality of, and conclusions drawn, resulting in overstated benefit and overuse of pelvic mesh in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE To describe a virtual, competency-based skin and wound care (SWC) skills training model. The ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Ontario SWC pivoted from an in-person boot camp to a virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS An outcome-based program evaluation was conducted. Participants first watched guided commentary and videos of experts performing in nine SWC multiskills videos, then practiced and video-recorded themselves performing those skills; these recordings were assessed by facilitators. Data were collected using pre-post surveys and rubric-based assessments. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were applied to data analysis. RESULTS Fifty-five healthcare professionals participated in the virtual boot camp, measured by the submission of at least one video. A total of 216 videos were submitted and 215 assessment rubrics were completed. Twenty-nine participants completed the pre-boot camp survey (53% response rate) and 26 responded to the post-boot camp survey (47% response rate). The strengths of the boot camp included the applicability of virtual learning to clinical settings, boot camp supplies, tool kits, and teaching strategies. The analysis of survey responses indicated that average proficiency scores were greater than 80% for three videos, 50% to 70% for three of the videos, and less than 50% for three of the videos. Participants received lower scores in local wound care and hand washing points of contact. The barriers of the boot camp included technical issues, time, level of knowledge required at times, and lack of equipment and access to interprofessional teams. CONCLUSIONS This virtual ECHO SWC model expanded access to practical skills acquisition. The professional development model presented here is generalizable to other healthcare domains. Copyright (C) 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Abstract Background In Canada, Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) are a new model for integrated healthcare. Core to OHTs are family physicians (FPs) and their ability to collaborate with other FPs and healthcare providers. Whereas the factors for intra-organizational collaboration have been well-studied, inter-organizational collaboration between FPs and other healthcare organizations as an integrated care network, are less understood. This paper aims to explore the structural factors, processes, and theoretical frameworks that support FPs’ collaboration for integrated healthcare. Methods A scoping review was undertaken based on Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping review and using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Review (PRISMA_ScR) checklist. A search for academic and relevant grey literature published between 2000–2021 was conducted across databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCOhost).Thematic analysis was used to identify the key findings of the selected studies. Results Thirty-two studies were included as eligible for this review. Three structural components were identified as critical to FPs’ successful participation in inter-organizational partnerships: (1) shared vision/values, (2) leadership by FPs, and (3) defined decision-making procedures. Also, three processes were identified: (1) effective communication, (2) a collective sense of motivation for change, and (3) relationships built on trust. Three theoretical frameworks provided insight into collaborative initiatives: (1) Social Identity Approach, (2) framework of interprofessional collaboration, and (3) competing values framework. Conclusion FPs hold unique positions in healthcare and this review is the first to synthesize the best evidence for building collaborations between FPs and other healthcare sectors. These findings will inform collaboration strategies for healthcare integration, including with OHTs.

Context: While health-care workers (HCW) spend their working hours caring for others, many are challenged to find the time and energy for self-care and suffer because of it. Objective: To examine facilitators and barriers facing organizations to a) support health-care workers psychological self-care and b) protect them from moral distress. Study Design and Analysis: Key informants were identified through scholarly and grey literature reviews and snowball recruitment. Potential informants were invited to participate in a one-hour, semi-structured interview. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic approach in NVivo 12. Setting: Interviews were conducted between November 2021 and February 2022 with HCW from multiple disciplines and health-care sectors across Canada. Population Studied: Anyone who self-identified as working in the health-care field, including front line workers and administrators. Instrument: An interview guide was developed for this study informed by the literature review. Outcome Measures: Facilitators and barriers to a) supporting psychological self-care and, b) protection from moral distress at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Results: A total of 29 interviews were completed with 30 participants. Facilitators to supporting psychological self-care included prioritizing self-care and utilization of available resources, positive peer relationships, and supportive leadership, policies, and guidelines. Barriers included hesitancy among HCW to identify themselves as feeling burnt out, an existing unsupportive culture as well as management who were unable to relate to their workers. HCW identified several facilitators to protection from moral distress, including a feeling that their work was making a difference, open communication within teams, and supportive resources such as a wellness team. In contrast, some HCW felt that moral distress was not well understood, and that an unhealthy culture of overwork coupled with a lack of resources were key barriers to protection. Conclusions: In this exploration of psychological health and safety in health-care workplaces across Canada we uncovered a multitude of opportunities for improvement. Participants not only spoke of their challenges to supporting psychological self-care and being able to protect themselves from moral distress but offered many suggestions that organizational leaders can implement in the short-term and longer-term.

Context: During the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCW) had to invest significant time and effort into their work, probably excessively so. Such a situation can be conducive of workaholic tendencies. Healthcare organizations need to be able to protect HCW from such tendencies. Objective: Using the conservation of resources theory and social learning theory, to better understand how ethical climate and organizational tenure interact to influence workaholism, and in turn, nurture higher perceived quality of care and lower intention to leave the profession. Study Design: An online Qualtrics survey was sent distributed in healthcare organizations and among HCW associations across Canada during the Omicron wave. Using AMOS 28, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of direct effect, mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation. Setting or Dataset: 887 HCW from all provinces and territories fully responded to the survey. Data is cross-sectional. Population Studied: Anyone working in healthcare from all lines of duties and speciality in Canada. Instrument: Only valid psychometric scales were used (Olson, 1998; Andreassen et al., 2012; Devoe et al., 2002; Kelloway et al., 1999). Control variables are age and gender. Outcome Measures: Workaholism, Quality of Care, Intention to Leave the Profession Results: Ethical climate had a negative relationship with workaholism, meaning it helps decrease workaholic tendencies. Ethical climate has beneficial indirect effects on both outcomes. Furthermore, organizational tenure moderated both the direct and indirect effects of ethical climate, where individuals with low tenure beneficiated significantly more from working in an organization with a strong ethical climate. Conclusion: Ethical climate is a key variable in understanding how an organizations’ climate can impact workaholic tendencies in healthcare. This in turn affects how HCWs perceive the quality of their care and their intention to remain in healthcare. Tenure, even when controlling for age, plays a major role in the relationship between ethical climate and the outcomes. As such, healthcare organizations should aim to nurture an ethical climate and make it as concrete as possible. Furthermore, new employees, even with extensive prior experience, must be made aware of the climate so they can benefit from it.

Context: Opioid overdoses and surging death rates are a national public health crisis for Canada. All physicians have a key role to play in curbing the opioid epidemic and this begins with education. Formal medical education for pain management and substance use disorder is not often taught as its own unit, rather it is integrated in fragments across multiple medical courses and clinical rotations. For Canadian physicians, there can be considerable variance in the topics and number of hours of training received in these areas. These variances in education, and the ongoing opioid crisis, make continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities important. Objective: To identify pain management and substance use disorder training needs for Canadian physicians. Study Design and Analysis: This qualitative study, using open-ended survey questions and interviews, identified CPD pain management and substance use disorder programs currently available, the key competencies physicians need in these topic areas, and gaps in existing educational offerings. Surveys were conducted online and by telephone. Interviews were conducted virtually and transcribed verbatim. All qualitative data was thematically analyzed using open coding. Setting and Population Studied: Representatives from 11 CPD offices at Canadian medical schools participated in the survey. Interviews were conducted with 14 Canadian pain management and substance use experts, and with representatives from national medical associations. Outcome Measures/Results: Key strengths of existing CPD pain programs included interactions with other learners, the inclusion of up-to-date, evidence-informed content, and adaptation to learner needs. Gaps of current programs included a lack of patient experiences, interactivity, knowledge application, and interdisciplinary offerings. Recommendations for future CPD programming include collaborative, interprofessional engagement, context-specific scenarios/case studies for training purposes, interactive engagement of learners, application of knowledge to clinical practice, pre- and post- program resources, and program evaluation. Conclusions: It is evident from this study that there is a need for pain management and substance use disorder CPD courses that compliment and build on existing programs. The AFMC’s bilingual CPD Pain Management and Substance Use Disorder Curriculum is currently being piloted with physicians across Canada’s 17 medical schools.

Objectives. To identify the facilitators and barriers to older adults' participation in healthy aging or cardiovascular rehabilitation programs. Methods. We conducted a scoping review to identify healthy aging program evaluations which identified participant barriers and facilitators. We developed a search strategy in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycInfo, and Cochrane CENTRAL, all on the Ovid platform and Ebsco CINAHL. Results. We included 17 articles in this review. Our team categorized the barriers and facilitators of older adults' participation in healthy aging programs into seven themes: attitudes, organizational structure, accessibility, social structure, knowledge, demographics, and program specifics. Conclusions. Understanding the facilitators and barriers that older adults face when deciding whether or not to participate or to continue participating in, healthy aging programs to promote in, cardiovascular health can help healthcare professionals provide optimal guidance for their patients and clients.

OBJECTIVE:This review sought to collect and synthesize studies that investigated the lived experience of barriers and facilitators to educational access and excellence for students with disabilities in low- and middle-income African countries. INTRODUCTION:Access to education in low- and middle-income African countries for students with disabilities is often inequitable. Although governments have developed policies and programs for student with disabilities, much of the literature guiding policy and program development has focused on the views of academics, parents, teachers, and political figures. INCLUSION CRITERIA:This systematic review considered studies that included participants who were students or trainees at the time of the study, have a disability, and were located in a low- and middle-income African country. The phenomena of interest were barriers and facilitators to educational success for students with disabilities. This review included qualitative, interpretive, and critical studies that drew on the experiences of students with disabilities. METHODS:An initial search was conducted in CINAHL and MEDLINE, followed by development of a full search strategy that was used for AMED, Embase, CINAHL, Global Health, MEDLINE, and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Daily and Versions, spanning from 1910-2021. Articles were limited to those published in English. The JBI approach was followed for study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, data synthesis, and assessing confidence in the findings with ConQual. RESULTS:Thirteen qualitative studies were included from seven African countries, and included primary, secondary and postsecondary students. The data were qualitatively synthesized into 64 findings, within six categories, which then formed two synthesized findings. The synthesized findings were: barriers and challenges to engaging in education, and supports for educational success. CONCLUSIONS:This review is a synthesis of the lived experiences of students with disabilities in low- and middle-income African countries to understand, in their own words, the challenges and supports they encounter during their educational journeys. Although many barriers and supports reported by students with disabilities and other stakeholders (eg, parents, teachers, administrators) are similar to those identified in this review, our findings identify that integrated research that includes students with disabilities will provide contextual and individual factors that are crucial for students to achieve equitable access to education. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER:PROSPERO CRD42019137951.

Context: Opioid overdoses and surging death rates are a national public health crisis for Canada. Primary healthcare providers have a key role to play in curbing the opioid epidemic and this begins with education. In January 2021, the Association of the Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), launched an online pain management and opioid stewardship curriculum for integration into Canada’s 17 medical school undergraduate programs. To ground this initiative within the medical education continuum, the AFMC is extending this curriculum into postgraduate medical education (PGME). Objective: To conduct an environmental scan to identify gaps in current PGME educational resources related to pain management and substance/opioid use disorders. Study Design: Scoping review, document analysis, surveys, interviews. Setting and Population Studied: A scoping review of patient experiences with pain and opioid management. A document analyses of Canadian Pain Guidelines and Competency Frameworks, the Royal College of Physicians of Canada CanMEDS key and enabling competencies, the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s 105 Priority Topics, and PGME pain-related curricula from Canada’s 17 medical schools. Surveys to key stakeholders in PGME offices, and interviews with stakeholders from key partner associations. Outcome Measures/Results: Current PGME curricular offerings have been praised for their value, interactive nature, and use of up-to-date evidence. The challenges of existing curricula included a lack of formative assessments, lack of a developmental approach in PGME, a need to address issues of stigma and bias in opioid use and prescribing, and concerns about translating knowledge into clinical practice. Future educational programs should ensure that curricula focus on person-centered approaches to care that prioritize patients’ lived experiences, stigma and bias around opioid use and prescribing, evidence-based guidelines, and developing competencies based on the full-range of CanMEDS competencies and the College of Family Physicians of Canada skill dimensions. Conclusion: Through a collaborative approach, AFMC is currently working with experts in the field, and patient subject matter experts and family advocates to begin identifying the key topics and learning outcomes for a national PGME pain management and substance/opioid use disorder curriculum.

INTRODUCTION:Lyme Disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne disease in North America. With the number of cases increasing yearly, Canadian healthcare professionals (HCP) rely on up-to-date and evidence-informed guidelines, instruction, and resources to effectively prevent, diagnose, and treat Lyme disease (LD). This review is the first of its kind to examine gray literature and analyze the diversity of recommendations provided to Canadian HCP about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease.METHODS:A gray literature review consisting of 4 search strategies was conducted to retrieve materials targeted to Canadian HCP. Searches within targeted websites, targeted Google searches, and gray literature databases, and consultation with content experts were done to look for continuing medical education (CME) events, clinical flow charts, webinars, videos, and reference documents that discussed the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease.RESULTS:A total of 115 resources were included in this study. Recommendations surrounding prevention strategies were less varied between materials, whereas diagnosis and treatment recommendations were more varied. Our findings suggest that Canadian HCP are met with varying and sometimes contradictory recommendations for diagnosing and treating LD.CONCLUSIONS:Due to the increasing incidence of LD in Canada, there is a greater need for resource consistency. Providing this consistency may help mitigate LD burden, standardize approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and improve patient outcomes.

This study sought to identify opportunities for improvement of an Internal Medicine (IM) resident quality improvement (QI)/patient safety (PS) program at an academic teaching hospital. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 residents and 6 attending physicians, which were analyzed from an inductive and thematic lens using NVivo software. Ethics was approved by the institution’s Research Ethics Board (File #: 6026140). Four themes emerged from this analysis. Residents and attending physicians agreed on (i) integrating QI/PS knowledge and skills into practice using active learning approaches. However, there was concern that requiring QI project completion through (ii) standardization of QI/PS education could create a barrier to clinical research required for sub-specialization. There was agreement that the (iii) QI/PS culture within the IM program was supportive and that a lack of safe reporting efficiency within the hospital, along with interprofessional discord, could cause (iv) external barriers to QI/PS training. By integrating these findings, evidence-informed and low-resource solutions could be incorporated into the QI/PS curriculum that uses minimal preparation requirements, and fulsome conversation-based exploration of QI/PS techniques within real-world clinical cases. RésuméCette étude visait à trouver des possibilités d’améliorer un programme d’amélioration de la qualité (AQ)/sécurité des patients (SP) pour les résidents en médecine interne (MI) à un hôpital universitaire. Les auteurs ont mené des entrevues semi-structurées auprès de 15 résidents et de 6 médecins traitants, lesquelles ont été analysées d’un point de vue inductif et thématique à l’aide du logiciel NVivo. Le comité d’éthique de la recherche de l’établissement a approuvé cette recherche (dossier no : 6026140). Quatre thèmes sont ressortis de cette analyse. Les résidents et les médecins traitants sont d’accord sur les éléments suivants : i) l’intégration dans la pratique des connaissances et des compétences en AQ/SP au moyen d’approches d’apprentissage actif. Toutefois, on craint que l’obligation de mener à bien le projet d’AQ par l’intermédiaire de ii) l’uniformisation de l’enseignement de l’AQ/SP ne crée un obstacle à la recherche clinique requise pour la sous-spécialisation. Les participants s’entendent pour dire iii) que la culture de l’AQ/SP au sein du programme de MI est fondée sur le soutien et que le manque d’efficacité lié aux déclarations relatives à la sécurité au sein de l’hôpital ainsi que les désaccords interprofessionnels pourraient causer iv) des obstacles externes à la formation sur l’AQ/SP. En intégrant ces constatations, des solutions fondées sur des données probantes et nécessitant peu de ressources pourraient être incorporées dans le programme d’AQ/SP qui utilise des exigences minimales en matière de préparation et une exploration approfondie des techniques d’AQ/SP sur le mode de la conversation dans le cadre de cas cliniques réels.

11023 Background: Faculty development (FD) programs and initiatives have been shown to improve teaching, learning, and overall satisfaction levels of academic faculty. However, these benefits are not fully realized in resource constrained settings like those found in some Sub-Saharan African academic institutions, that often face many FD challenges. Improving FD activities in the region may enhance the capacity of oncology faculty to address these challenges. We sought to examine African oncology faculty’s satisfaction and the perceived enablers and barriers with current FD opportunities. Methods: We randomly surveyed oncology faculty ( n = 21) through the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) listserv and conducted semi-structured interviews with nine ( n = 9) faculty involved in African oncology training programs to ascertain their perspectives on faculty development activities including curriculum development, teaching, and learning. All survey respondents and interview participants are current members of the AORTIC. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, and thematic analysis were used to analyze the survey and interview data respectively. Results: Interim survey results revealed that 64% of academic oncology faculty believe that there are barriers to their FD at their current academic institutions. Barriers cited for FD from the interviews include the competitive nature of FD courses and programs, limited online learning opportunities, poor internet access, time constraints, language barriers, and high costs associated with FD activities. A significant minority of the survey respondents (43%) were dissatisfied with their overall FD. Access to curriculum development opportunities (χ 2 = 10.97, p = 0.001) and longer duration of practice (χ 2 = 7.9, p = 0.019) were significantly associated with an increased overall satisfaction with FD of oncology faculty. Themes emerging from the interviews also revealed that participants believe that addressing issues relating to access to local institutional support and opportunities including funding, reduced fees for individuals from low- and middle-income countries, getting time off work from local institution, and availability of online FD education will enable them to increase their participation in FD activities. Conclusions: A considerable number of African oncologists face many FD challenges and are therefore dissatisfied with the current state of their FD. Incorporating the recommendations offered by participants into faculty development planning activities may improve faculty satisfaction levels, remove barriers, and improve outcomes for learners. Also, the finding that access to curriculum development opportunities leads to increased levels of satisfaction with FD could guide FD for faculty in African oncology training programs.

In September 2016, Queen’s University launched the first, fully online, 4-year Bachelor of Health Science degree program in Canada. This paper reports on the developmental structure, implementation philosophy, and challenges in the development of this competency-based program. All stakeholders directly involved in program development were invited to participate in this qualitative case study. Thirty-five interviews and three focus groups (n=14) were conducted. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed using thematic design. Themes included: program vision; desired program outcomes; administrative processes for funding and recruitment; uniqueness of the program; local, regional and international impact of the program; communication and collaborations for program development; and uncertainty in long term outcomes. Findings suggest that during program development, an explicit vision of program goals encouraged buy-in at most levels of the university. There was consensus that the overarching outcome should be to provide a rigorous, high quality program with pathways to professional, basic science, global health and advocacy-based health professions. The online modality was expected to improve accessibility to degree programs, as well as address diverse student learning needs. Innovation played a vital role in the program’s development and was founded in educational theory and curriculum development practices.

Background and Objective: This review updates and expands on previous reviews of educational interventions for primary care providers (PCPs) involved in palliative and end-of-life care (PEoLC) and is the first to include early studies related to medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was conducted across five electronic databases to locate published interventional studies related to ongoing PEoLC and/or MAiD education for primary care professionals. A descriptive summary of results and a narrative discussion of common themes and comparisons are provided. Results: Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The researchers found a myriad of interventions, including courses based, practical experience, mentoring, and workshops. The researchers categorized results by four domains: attitude, confidence, knowledge, and skills. Across domains, seven educational topics emerged: general care, interprofessional collaboration, nutrition, pain and symptom management, patient communication, and professional coping. Overall, studies employed various methodologies, but often relied on cross-sectionally measured self-assessment. Two articles were found that measured the impact of MAiD education. Conclusion: These findings suggest that PEoLC education can improve PCPs' perceived attitudes, confidence, knowledge, and skills across multiple areas of palliative care practice. While PCPs across studies valued educational interventions, the findings relating to the impact of PEoLC education on PCP's provision of effective PEoLC were unclear. However, most interventions resulted in enhanced confidence and knowledge. To date, there are only two studies that have examined MAiD educational programs. There is a need for studies of higher rigor with more emphasis on follow-up to clarify the impact training has on those involved in PEoLC and MAiD.