Experiences and Perceptions of Nurses Participating in an Interprofessional, Videoconference-Based Educational Programme on Concurrent Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Background Individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (i.e., concurrent disorders) remain a challenge for the nurses attempting to care for them. They require nurses to constantly adapt themselves and develop high-level competencies despite the limited resources they have and the isolated settings in which many of them work. The Extension for Healthcare Community Outcomes (ECHO®) is a promising collaborative learning and capacity building model that uses videoconference technology to support and train healthcare professionals in the management of complex and chronic health conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of nurses participating in a Canadian ECHO programme on concurrent disorders about the competencies they developed and mobilized in their clinical practice, and which factors have influenced this process. Methods The study was qualitative, guided by an interpretive descriptive approach. Individual semi-structured interviews were held with ten nurses who had participated in the programme for the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 curricula. A thematic analysis was conducted iteratively using an inductive approach to progressive data coding and organization. Results Four themes and eighteen sub-themes emerged. During their participation in ECHO, the nurses perceived as having further developed and mobilized eight clinical nursing competencies. Nurses viewed ECHO as a unique opportunity to open themselves to their peers’ experiences and reflect on their own knowledge. Learning from experts in the field of concurrent disorders helped them to build their confidence in managing complex clinical situations. The nurses’ sense of belonging to a community further enhanced their engagement in the programme, and learning was facilitated through the programme’s interprofessional environment. Nevertheless, the lack of contextualized educative content linked to local realities, the limited resources in concurrent disorders and time constraints were experienced as factors limiting competency development. Conclusions ECHO is a promising alternative to conventional, in-person continuing education programmes to improve the development of advanced competencies and clinical practice among nurses providing care to individuals with chronic and complex health conditions. These findings can inform clinicians, educators, researchers, and decision makers who are developing, implementing, evaluating and escalating future educational interventions in the field of CDs.