{"title":"Innovations to the ECHO model to enhance reach and network-building among addiction clinicians in Western Canada.","authors":"Samantha Robinson, Isabella Brohman, Jenna van Draanen, Rivka Kushner, Nadia Fairbairn, Stephanie Glegg","doi":"10.1186/s13722-024-00524-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Building capacity for evidence-based treatment and support for people with substance use disorders (SUD) is an urgent priority in the context of the toxic drug poisoning crisis. We implemented the first substance use-focused Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) in Western Canada for health care providers, to enhance their clinical addiction skills and knowledge, facilitate practice change, and foster a supportive community of practice. The aims of this article are to describe our innovations to the Project ECHO model in British Columbia (BC) and Yukon, and present key program outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A pragmatic multi-methods program evaluation employed observational records of BC ECHO on Substance Use session attendance, cross-sectional and longitudinal participant surveys, and qualitative interviews with participants to assess satisfaction, relevance, and preparation to use evidence-based approaches, practice change intentions, and actual behaviours.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The 52 ECHO sessions (from June 2019 to July 2022) attracted 2134 unique registrants with 5089 attendances (mean 124/session), 2132 newsletter subscribers, and 5842 podcast downloads. The evaluation included 844 post-session survey respondents and 53 interview participants. The program included ECHO sessions with rolling attendance; widely accessed supplemental formats (e.g., newsletter, podcast, clinical tools, archived presentation recordings); variable, regional hub representation; and evidence-based content developed by medical writers. These features contributed to broad geographic and discipline reach, high-quality program content, and high mean session satisfaction ratings (4.2/5). Key qualitative themes emerged, related to knowledge and skill acquisition, gaining confidence in providing SUD care, facilitating shared decision-making, increasing compassion for patients, consolidating learning and applying it to practice, and reducing isolation through expanded networks.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The ECHO model is an effective way to improve capacity in SUD care for physicians and nurse practitioners, while offering benefits for interprofessional attendees. Our findings can inform innovations in other ECHO programs to enhance reach, engagement, and impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":54223,"journal":{"name":"Addiction Science & Clinical Practice","volume":"19 1","pages":"93"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11654416/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Addiction Science & Clinical Practice","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-024-00524-z","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SUBSTANCE ABUSE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Building capacity for evidence-based treatment and support for people with substance use disorders (SUD) is an urgent priority in the context of the toxic drug poisoning crisis. We implemented the first substance use-focused Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) in Western Canada for health care providers, to enhance their clinical addiction skills and knowledge, facilitate practice change, and foster a supportive community of practice. The aims of this article are to describe our innovations to the Project ECHO model in British Columbia (BC) and Yukon, and present key program outcomes.
Methods: A pragmatic multi-methods program evaluation employed observational records of BC ECHO on Substance Use session attendance, cross-sectional and longitudinal participant surveys, and qualitative interviews with participants to assess satisfaction, relevance, and preparation to use evidence-based approaches, practice change intentions, and actual behaviours.
Results: The 52 ECHO sessions (from June 2019 to July 2022) attracted 2134 unique registrants with 5089 attendances (mean 124/session), 2132 newsletter subscribers, and 5842 podcast downloads. The evaluation included 844 post-session survey respondents and 53 interview participants. The program included ECHO sessions with rolling attendance; widely accessed supplemental formats (e.g., newsletter, podcast, clinical tools, archived presentation recordings); variable, regional hub representation; and evidence-based content developed by medical writers. These features contributed to broad geographic and discipline reach, high-quality program content, and high mean session satisfaction ratings (4.2/5). Key qualitative themes emerged, related to knowledge and skill acquisition, gaining confidence in providing SUD care, facilitating shared decision-making, increasing compassion for patients, consolidating learning and applying it to practice, and reducing isolation through expanded networks.
Conclusions: The ECHO model is an effective way to improve capacity in SUD care for physicians and nurse practitioners, while offering benefits for interprofessional attendees. Our findings can inform innovations in other ECHO programs to enhance reach, engagement, and impact.
期刊介绍:
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice provides a forum for clinically relevant research and perspectives that contribute to improving the quality of care for people with unhealthy alcohol, tobacco, or other drug use and addictive behaviours across a spectrum of clinical settings.
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice accepts articles of clinical relevance related to the prevention and treatment of unhealthy alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use across the spectrum of clinical settings. Topics of interest address issues related to the following: the spectrum of unhealthy use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs among the range of affected persons (e.g., not limited by age, race/ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation); the array of clinical prevention and treatment practices (from health messages, to identification and early intervention, to more extensive interventions including counseling and pharmacotherapy and other management strategies); and identification and management of medical, psychiatric, social, and other health consequences of substance use.
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice is particularly interested in articles that address how to improve the quality of care for people with unhealthy substance use and related conditions as described in the (US) Institute of Medicine report, Improving the Quality of Healthcare for Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006). Such articles address the quality of care and of health services. Although the journal also welcomes submissions that address these conditions in addiction speciality-treatment settings, the journal is particularly interested in including articles that address unhealthy use outside these settings, including experience with novel models of care and outcomes, and outcomes of research-practice collaborations.
Although Addiction Science & Clinical Practice is generally not an outlet for basic science research, we will accept basic science research manuscripts that have clearly described potential clinical relevance and are accessible to audiences outside a narrow laboratory research field.