Evaluation of a Digital COPD Education Program for Healthcare Professionals in Long-Term Care – A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Background Lack of routines and competence among healthcare professionals have been reported as barriers to COPD management in long-term care. Online education could be used as a strategy to make COPD education more accessible. Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate a digital COPD education program for healthcare professionals in long-term care regarding feasibility, knowledge and working procedures. Methods A randomized controlled feasibility trial with a convergent mixed methods design was conducted. Two municipalities in Sweden were randomized to intervention (n=20) or control (n=17). The intervention was a digital COPD education program accessible for three months. Data was collected through questionnaires on COPD-specific knowledge, conceptual knowledge, feasibility and usage of the COPD Web platform. Repeated individual interviews using a semi-structured interview guide was also performed. Quantitative and qualitative findings were merged using a mixed methods design. Results The digital COPD education program appears feasible based on the expressed satisfaction of the healthcare workers and their reports that it supported them in their work. Across questionnaires, objective COPD-specific knowledge increased by 14 to 16 percentage points in the intervention group compared to 0 to 6 percentage points in the control group (p=0.001). The objective increase in COPD-specific knowledge was also captured in the interviews, where a perceived increase in knowledge led to increased security and focus on COPD management. Few changes in working procedures were expressed, but participants felt that attention was raised regarding COPD and the importance of preventive healthcare services. In addition, increased knowledge of healthcare services provided by other involved professions was emphasized, leading to discussions with other professions in relation to COPD management. Conclusion A digital COPD education program is feasible and can increase the COPD-specific knowledge of healthcare professionals in long-term care, leading to increased focus on COPD-related issues. More comprehensive measures, including organizational changes, might be needed to change working procedures.

Experiences of Using an Electronic Health Tool Among Health Care Professionals Involved in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Management: Qualitative Analysis

“…Moreover, we have previously reported that a digital COPD education program could be used to increase objective measures of COPD-specific knowledge among health care professionals involved in COPD management [ 46 ]. Although objective measures of COPD-specific knowledge were not obtained in this qualitative study, in the category “receiving competence support,” health care professionals expressed that the COPD Web offered a unified knowledge bank, which led them to receive a higher and broader level of competence regarding COPD.…”

“…Interview times vary and, occasionally, are short. Still, we interpreted our data to be rich enough for the analysis performed here, and a specific duration is not a guarantee for richness [ 46 , 48 ]. Second, during the analysis, triangulation between authors was made to ensure that our interpretation was grounded in the empirical data [ 46 ].…”

“…Still, we interpreted our data to be rich enough for the analysis performed here, and a specific duration is not a guarantee for richness [ 46 , 48 ]. Second, during the analysis, triangulation between authors was made to ensure that our interpretation was grounded in the empirical data [ 46 ]. In addition, we continuously consulted the audio recordings when triangulation indicated risks of interpretational differences in a transcript [ 29 ].…”

Development of a Digital Patient Assistant for the Management of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome: Patient-Centric Design Study

“…Meanwhile, digital health technologies have emerged as effective solutions to help patients track their disease progression over time, including for patients with rare or orphan diseases [ 16 - 18 ]. Successful implementation of user-centered digital health interventions has improved patient’s quality of life across many common chronic conditions [ 19 , 20 ]. Some digital health apps and wearables for functional gastroenterological disorders such as Bowelle (Bowelle AB) and AbStats (Alpha Logic, Inc) have been developed; however, they only offer stand-alone tracking and symptomatic management, thus leaving a need for a multicomponent customized approach for patients with CVS [ 21 ].…”