14 februari 2025 presenterar Gerard Nyiringango sin doktorsavhandling på Institutionen för data- och systemvetenskap (DSV) vid Stockholms universitet. Titeln är ”Exploring the Potential of Using Virtual Patient Cases for Continuous Professional Development of Nurses Working in Primary Health Centres in Rwanda”.

Doktorand: Gerard Nyiringango, DSV
Opponent: Ing-Marie Carlsson, Högskolan i Halmstad
Huvudhandledare: Uno Fors, DSV
Handledare: Elenita Forsberg, Högskolan i Halmstad, och David Tumussime, University of Rwanda

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Sammanfattning på engelska

Countries around the world have embraced continuous professional development (CPD) as a key learning strategy through which healthcare professionals maintain or acquire the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to improve or sustain the quality of healthcare service delivery. Various approaches, such as face-to-face training, mentorship, and online learning, are currently employed to support the CPD of healthcare providers.

This thesis, composed of five sub-studies, investigates the potential of virtual patient (VP) cases – an element of digital education – to improve the CPD of nurses in Rwanda’s primary healthcare settings. The research is guided by five key questions. The first two studies explore the needs, facilitators, and barriers that could influence the implementation of virtual patient cases in these healthcare settings. The remaining three studies examine how virtual patient cases can enhance clinical reasoning, how nurses perceive the benefits of using VP cases as a CPD approach, and how they accept VP cases as a CPD approach.

The thesis used a quantitative and qualitative research design. The analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data from the exploratory phase reveals that healthcare managers and providers view CPD as a crucial strategy for enhancing healthcare service delivery. However, they also report barriers, such as insufficient electronic devices and unstable internet connectivity, which could hinder the effective implementation of VP cases as a CPD approach.

During the intervention phase, 56 nurses engaged with four virtual patient cases – hypertension, depression, gastric cancer, and prostate cancer – as part of their CPD. The findings indicate that nurses who participated in this intervention demonstrated improved clinical reasoning skills in the cases they managed. Additionally, the study found that nurses generally accept VP cases as a viable CPD approach. Furthermore, it was shown that VP cases can complement learning by motivating nurses, providing a safe learning environment, and improving clinical reasoning through reflective practice and comparison with experts’ responses to the scenarios presented in the VP cases.

These findings, therefore, suggest the possibility of using VP cases as a CPD approach in primary healthcare settings, specifically in health centres in Rwanda and similar contexts. Future research could explore the impact of VP cases on patient outcomes and assess the feasibility of using them for CPD in settings beyond primary healthcare settings.

Nyckelord

Continuous professional development, clinical reasoning, nurses, primary healthcare settings, healthcare providers, virtual patient, virtual patient cases