Dr. Angela Towle
Topic: ‘Where’s the Patient’s Voice in Health Professional Education?’ A Research Journey
Date: April 21, 2010
Time: 12:00pm to 1:30pm (Lunch will be served)
Locations:
- Diamond Health Care Centre, room 11268
- IRC 305
- CWH 2D22
- MSB 107
- RJH 125
- NHSC 9-374
Abstract
Trends in health care policy emphasize active involvement of the community and patients in their own health care. Participation by users of health care services in health research is also occurring. Such changes in practice require changes in health professional education to improve skills in communication, patient-centred care (with patients at the centre of the relationship and sharing control) and interprofessional practice. A facilitator of these changes is the involvement of patients and their carers in health professional education – involvement that goes beyond the traditional role as interesting ‘cases’ and audio-visual aids to a more active teaching role that recognizes the patient as an ‘expert’: the authentic and autonomous ‘patient’s voice’. Educational initiatives that embrace this more active role are increasing in medicine, nursing, mental health and social work.
Since 2005 the Division of Health Care Communication has led local and international research and development initiatives on patient involvement in health professional education. Using our work as a case study, this presentation will describe approaches to the following challenges in a program of educational research:
- Reframing a research problem;
- Finding out who else is working in the field;
- Developing international and multidisciplinary collaborations;
- Literature searching and synthesis;
- Developing a research agenda;
- Struggling with language, classification and discourses;
- Doing follow up studies;
- Practicalities of community-based action research and participatory design.
Lessons learned at each stage will be illustrated with examples.
Biography
Angela Towle has been Associate Dean, MD Undergraduate Education, Curriculum & Vancouver Fraser Medical Program in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC since August 2002. During this time she has taken a lead in implementing the expansion of the medical school and is currently co-chair of the Dean’s Task Force on Curriculum Renewal. Dr Towle has over 20 years experience of medical education research, curriculum and faculty development at UBC and in the UK.
Dr. Towle was co-founder in 2001 of the Division of Health Care Communication (http://www.chd.ubc.ca/dhcc/) in the College of Health Disciplines at UBC and is its Co-Director. The Division has a research and development focus on patient /client involvement in health care decision-making, and interventions that facilitate evidence-based choice and patient autonomy. The Division leads an international research collaboration on patients as educators of health professionals. Current initiatives at UBC include an interprofessional ‘Patient and Community Voices’ project that engages community organizations and individual community educators in health professional education, and a partnership with the Sto:Lo Nation in Chilliwack that helps students to develop cultural competence.
Accreditation:
As an organization accredited to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS), the UBC Division of Continuing Professional Development designates this educational program as meeting the accreditation criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 1.5 Mainpro-M1 credits (per session). This program has been reviewed and approved by UBC Division of Continuing Professional Development. Each physician should claim only those credits he/she actually spent in the activity.
Accreditation Statement:
The CHES Research Rounds is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
