25 september 2024 presenterar doktoranden Gerard Nyiringango sitt pågående arbete med titeln ”Exploring Needs, Facilitators, Barriers and Potential of using Virtual Patient Cases for Enhancement for Continuous Professional Development of Nurses Working in Primary Health Centers in Rwanda”.

Seminariet genomförs på Institutionen för data- och systemvetenskap (DSV) vid Stockholms universitet.

Respondent: Gerard Nyiringango, DSV
Opponent: Italo Masiello, Linnéuniversitetet
Huvudhandledare: Uno Fors, DSV
Handledare: Elenita Forsberg, Högskolan i Halmstad och David Tumusiime, University of Rwanda
Närmast berörda professor: Teresa Cerratto-Pargman, DSV

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Sammanfattning (på engelska)

Countries around the world have embraced continuous professional development (CPD) as a key learning strategy by 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 dissertation, comprising five sub-studies, explores the potential of using virtual patient cases – a sub-component of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) – to enhance the continuous professional development of nurses working in Rwanda’s primary healthcare settings (health centers). Virtual patient cases are computer-based simulations of real-life clinical scenarios that allow learners to choose and manage treatments, offering insights into various therapeutic options and their outcomes.

Five research questions guide the study:
1. What are healthcare managers’ perspectives on the barriers and benefits of online learning for continuous professional development?
2. What are the perspectives of nurses, midwives, and physicians on the barriers and benefits of online learning for continuous professional development?
3. How effective are virtual patient cases in enhancing the clinical reasoning skills of nurses at primary healthcare centers?
4. What is the level of acceptance among nurses at primary healthcare centers for using virtual patient cases as a learning strategy for continuous professional development?
5. How can virtual patient cases enhance the learning experience for the continuous professional development of nurses at primary healthcare centers?

The first two research questions explore the factors that could support the implementation of virtual patient cases in primary healthcare settings in Rwanda. The last three questions focus on the effectiveness of virtual patient cases as an intervention for the continuous professional development of nurses in these settings.

The study employs a mixed-methods research design. Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data from the exploratory phase reveals that healthcare managers and healthcare providers view CPD as a vital strategy for improving healthcare service delivery. However, they also identify barriers such as insufficient electronic devices and unstable internet connectivity, which could impede the smooth implementation of VP cases.

During the intervention phase, 56 nurses were provided with tablets equipped with internet access to work on 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 showed improved clinical reasoning skills in the cases they worked on. It was also revealed that nurses generally accept virtual patient cases as a CPD approach. Finally, it was demonstrated that virtual patient cases enhance learning by motivating nurses, providing a safe learning environment, and improving clinical reasoning through reflective practice and comparison with expert scenarios in virtual cases.

The study recommends adopting virtual patient cases as a CPD approach in primary healthcare settings in Rwanda and similar contexts. Future research could explore the impact of virtual patient cases on patient outcomes and the feasibility of using them for CPD in settings beyond primary healthcare in Rwanda.

Nyckelord

Continuous professional development, Nurses, primary healthcare settings, healthcare providers, Virtual patient, Virtual patient cases