Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Office for Learning and Teaching Grant: PACTs projectA/Prof Jan Coles, A/Prof Lyn Clearihan, Dr Juanita Fernando, Dr Deborah Western February 2013

PACTs project 2

Our Innovation and Development (I &D) Grant partners

Our Team

Dr Deb Western, Associate Professor Louise Farnworth, Dr Leanne Boyd, Mr Mark Heald, Associate Professor Lisa McKenna are collaborators from specific discipline areas who will be responsible for developing the discipline relevant content.

Associate Professor Lisa McKenna and Ms Jennifer Lindley will work with the project leadership team to ensure the educational frameworks of the project are sound.

Dr Juanita Fernando provides the IT expertise and links.

Associate Professor Lyn Clearihan Evaluation

February 2013PACTs project 3

OLT I &D objectives (2013) (a) promote and support strategic change in higher education institutions

for the enhancement of learning and teaching, and the benefit of the student experience

(b) raise the profile and encourage recognition of the fundamental importance of teaching in higher education institutions and in the general community

(c) develop effective mechanisms for the identification, development, dissemination and embedding of good individual and institutional practice in learning and teaching in Australian higher education

(d) develop and support reciprocal national and international arrangements for the purpose of sharing and benchmarking learning and teaching processes

(e) develop and enhance a deep understanding and knowledge of the learning process appropriate to the disciplines being taught.

February 2013PACTs Project 4

The PACTs Project

PACTS - An innovative Primary care program Advancing Competency To Support family violence survivors.

February 2013PACTs project 5

Rationale Family violence against women is the leading cause of the burden of

disease for women aged 18-44 in Victoria;

It is costly (partner violence $13.6 billion dollars, child abuse $6 billion);

A recent Victorian survey of primary care practitioners found that 57-82% practitioners felt that they would benefit from further training in asking questions and supporting survivors;

For a decade, undergraduate teaching in the area of family violence has remained stagnant, despite the growing evidence of the health and societal impacts of family violence;

In 2009, the majority of Australian medical schools had less than 2 hours of teaching (predominately lectures and small group teaching) on family violence, with the maximum taught being 4 hours.

February 2013PACTs project 6

Our Global Aim

This project aims to improve teaching and learning on family violence in pre-vocational primary health care courses in Australia in order to better equip graduates with the skills to intervene, and consequently to improve patient/client access to services.

February 2013PACTs project 7

Our project specific aims

Produce an open access, evidence-based, interactive, sustainable learning package using a blended learning environment to enable primary care students to effectively respond to victims /survivors of family violence.

Pilot these resources in four Australian universities.

Effect systemic change on a national level by disseminating these resources to all Australian institutions that teach primary healthcare and by championing the use, development and adaptation of these resources by teachers and students.

February 2013PACTs Project 8

Aim 1

To develop a resource for teaching primary care students how to recognise and effectively support patient/clients who experience family violence

Deliverables

6 hour online learning package supported by video scenarios and interviews with survivors and key primary care professionals.

Evaluation 

Focus groups with students - Re acceptability, accessibility, utility. 

Web based pre and post module testing (knowledge, attitudes) developed in consultation with internal evaluator.

February 2013PACTs Project 9

How are we doing this? 6 x1hour online learning modules

Module themes that build knowledge and encourage

Student safety, reflection and self care

Theoretical framework/Knowledge and information (statistics, reporting requirements etc)

Identifying and recognising family violence (including groups at risk and times of risk, practitioner risk assessment)

Asking the right questions

Responding well

Management/Referral Pathways (medical, legal and community)

February 2013PACTs Project 10

But there’s more Videos with survivors

Videos with professional champions

Videos of a professional encounter

In the future

Virtual world clinical encounter

February 2013PACTs Project 11

Outcomes A community developed, evaluated and nationally available module for

early teaching and learning in recognising and responding to family violence for primary care students. 

A common theoretical knowledge base of family violence is developed between primary care disciplines while discipline specific needs are addressed to aid communication with patient/clients and across the primary care team.

The module provides a tested and evaluated blueprint with the potential for further expansion to develop higher skills in responding to family violence and for other complex areas in health.

Dissemination of these resources to all Australian institutions that teach primary healthcare.

February 2013PACTs project 12

Innovation

Interprofessional learning model with videos

A safe learning environment, before students address family violence in real world practice.

A model for teaching and learning in addressing discipline specific needs which will be the most relevant to students and improve their engagement in this area

A model for other complex areas in health

February 2013PACTs Project 13

Educational framework

adult learning, experiential learning and reflective learning principles

Challenges

cultural attitudes around family violence (secrecy, shame, embarrassment, tolerance,

it’s a social problem not a health problem; everyone has a responsibility to respond

student experiences (potentially exposed to or perpetrators of family violence in their own lives)

February 2013PACTs Project 14

E-Platforms- design, network, hosting No proprietary platforms ( hosting,

software) : open source

– Moodle and Open Sim (an interactive 3D environment application)

eSolutions Education support required to host and maintain web site : budget

– Use of existing IT infrastructure

– Moodle or eSolutions to build

28th February 2011Presentation title 15

Project concept document

1. Several meetings with ESolutions required

2. A separate process but parallel to grant application

3. Start early, at the same time as grant application is drafted

28th February 2011Presentation title 16

What we needed to know Information supporting hosting concept document

• Budget

• Site size (content’ hours of online learning modules)

• Content downloads to enduser’s computers (cost and IP)

• Interactivity (yes)

• Room for expansion required (yes : other open source applications)

• Space for donors brands (yes)

• Security and privacy (essential for IP reasons and end-users)

• Availability (24/7 worldwide)

• Approach to development (staged)

• Are exemplars currently available (yes).

February 2013PACTs Project 17

Site designDesign considerations for grant application

Researcher with skills in this domain

Total number of hours designer required to build the interactive content (pd, location, salary, operational requirements)

Decisions about what interactive software to use for which purpose (Open Sim, Moodle)

February 2013PACTs Project 18

Our Top Tips

February 2013PACTs Project 19

Start early

Use your networks

Use Monash resources to help

Give it a GO!

Our Thanks

February 2013Presentation title 20

The Promoting Excellence TeamThe e-Solutions TeamThe Victorian Women’s TrustOur partner

universitiesThe collegiality of

SPHC