UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: For patients and their families, effective patient education can increase knowledge and understanding of disease and treatment, improve their ability to cope with the diagnosis and course of illness, and satisfaction with care. As such, at the University Health Network (UHN), the development of a comprehensive patient education program is seen as an integral part of clinical care and best practice.

Methods: The UHN Organizational and Employee Development Department and the Patient Education Network (PEN) developed an evidence-based professional development program to enhance clinical staff competencies as patient educators. A comprehensive review of related health education literature was conducted. An education framework and best practice guidelines for facilitating patient education curriculum was developed and made available to staff on the hospital's Intranet. Subsequently, a three-part education program Maximizing Your Patient Education Skills was designed to support the translation of the guidelines into action. Course topics included: adult education, communication and learning styles, curriculum development, instructional methodologies and collegial mentoring. In addition to a variety of interactive teaching methods, an innovative strategy employing “standardized patients” was utilized.

Results: Since May 2004, 153 clinical staff have participated in this staff development program. Preliminary findings indicate that participants found the course enhanced their perceived competency and skills as patient educators. Staff found the curriculum valuable and the use of standardized patients an effective strategy to enhance their learning experience. We will describe steps taken towards the development of an innovative professional development program and our on-going program evaluation.