Attitude change and increased confidence with management of chronic breathlessness following a health professional training workshop: a survey evaluation

• Published in: BMC medical education 2020-03, Vol.20 (1), p.90-90, Article 90
• Main Authors: Johnston, Kylie N, Young, Mary, Kay, Debra, Booth, Sara, Spathis, Anna, Williams, Marie T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: (3–10): chronic breathlessness; Adult; Adult Learning; Andragogy; Attitude Change; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes; Behavior Change; Beliefs; Clinical Competence; Conferences, meetings and seminars; Confidence; Dyspnea - therapy; Education; Educational Opportunities; Evidence; Familiarity; Female; Health Personnel; Health Personnel - education; Health professional; Humans; Intervention; Learning Theories; Male; Medical personnel; Medical personnel training; Middle Aged; Objectives; Pain; Professional Training; Professionals; Program Evaluation; Questionnaires; Self Efficacy; Self Management; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teaching Methods; Transformative Learning; Workshops; Workshops (Educational programs)
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02006-7

Clinicians and people living with chronic breathlessness have expressed a need to better understand and manage this symptom. The aim of this study was to evaluate a 3-day health professional training workshop on the practical management of chronic breathlessness. Workshop design and delivery were based on current understandings and clinical models of chronic breathlessness management, principles of transformative learning, and included sessions co-designed with people living with breathlessness. Registrants were invited to complete pre and post-workshop surveys. Pre and 1-week post-workshop online questionnaires assessed familiarity and confidence about workshop objectives (0[lowest]-10[highest] visual analogue scale), attitudes and practices regarding chronic breathlessness (agreement with statements on 5-point Likert scales). Post-workshop, participants were asked to describe implementation plans and anticipated barriers. Baseline familiarity and confidence were reported as mean (SD) and change examined with paired t-tests. Pre-post attitudes and practices were summarised by frequency/percentages and change examined non-parametrically (5-point Likert scale responses) or using a McNemar test of change (binary responses). Forty-seven of 55 registrants joined the study; 39 completed both pre and post-workshop questionnaires (35 female; 87% clinicians; median 8 years working with people with chronic breathlessness). Post-workshop, greatest gains in confidence were demonstrated for describing biopsychosocial concepts unpinning chronic breathlessness (mean change confidence = 3.2 points; 95% CI 2.7 to 4.0, p