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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing health inequities in vulnerable and marginalized patient populations. Continuing professional development (CPD) can be a critical driver of change to improve quality of care, health inequities, and system change. In order for CPD to address these disparities in care for patient populations most affected in the health care system, CPD programs must first address issues of equity and inclusion in their education development and delivery. Despite the need for equitable and inclusive CPD programs, there remains a paucity of tools and frameworks available in the literature to guide CPD and broader education providers on how best to develop and deliver equitable and inclusive education programs. In this article, we describe the development and application of a Health Equity and Inclusion (HEI) Framework for education and training grounded in the Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate model for instructional design. Using a case example, specifically a hospital-wide trauma-informed de-escalation for safety program, we demonstrate how the HEI Framework can be applied practically to CPD programs to support equity and inclusion in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation phases of education program delivery. The case example illustrates how the HEI Framework can be used by CPD providers to respect learner diversity, improve accessibility for all learners, foster inclusion, and address biases and stereotypes. We suggest that the HEI Framework can serve as an educational resource for CPD providers and health professions educators aiming to create equitable and inclusive CPD programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovery Colleges (RCs) are education-based centres providing information, networking, and skills development for managing mental health, well-being, and daily living. A central principle is co-creation involving people with lived experience of mental health/illness and/or addictions (MHA). Identified gaps are RCs evaluations and information about whether such evaluations are co-created. We describe a co-created scoping review of how RCs are evaluated in the published and grey literature. Also assessed were: the frameworks, designs, and analyses used; the themes/outcomes reported; the trustworthiness of the evidence; and whether the evaluations are co-created. We followed Arksey and O'Malley's methodology with one important modification: "Consultation" was re-conceptualised as "co-creator engagement" and was the first, foundational step rather than the last, optional one. Seventy-nine percent of the 43 included evaluations were peer-reviewed, 21% grey literature. These evaluations represented 33 RCs located in the UK (58%), Australia (15%), Canada (9%), Ireland (9%), the USA (6%), and Italy (3%). Our findings depict a developing field that is exploring a mix of evaluative approaches. However, few evaluations appeared to be co-created. Although most studies referenced co-design/co-production, few described how much or how meaningfully people with lived experience were involved in the evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adults with mental health symptoms stemming from childhood interpersonal trauma require specialized trauma-focused psychological interventions. Limitations in accessing treatment interventions for this population necessitate innovative solutions. This study explored the feasibility of a protocol for a blended e-health psychoeducational treatment intervention for this population called the Trauma PORTAL (Providing Online tRauma Therapy using an Asynchronous Learning platform), combining asynchronous online modules and weekly live virtual group sessions., Method: From October 2021 to February 2022, this prospective, single-arm study recruited participants who were waitlisted for trauma therapy at an academic hospital. The primary outcome was protocol feasibility, including recruitment, adoption, and intervention acceptability. Secondary outcomes were pre- and post-intervention post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 [PCL-5]), depression/anxiety/stress (Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale [DASS-21]), and emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [DERS-18]), which were compared using paired t -tests and presented as mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: A total of 66 participants (median age = 37, female = 61) were enrolled, and they completed on average 53.5% of the online modules. There were 51 (77%) participants who completed post-intervention questionnaires. Acceptability was very high, with 49 respondents (98%) reporting that the intervention increased their access to health care. There were reductions from pre- to post-intervention on the PCL-5 (49.1 vs. 36.7, MD -12.4, 95% CI 8.3-16.5), DERS-18 (51.8 vs. 48.8, MD -3.3, 95% CI 0.2-6.4), and DASS-21 (60.1 vs. 50.7, MD -9.4, 95% CI 2.3-16.6)., Conclusion: The Trauma PORTAL intervention was feasible to implement, well-adopted, and highly acceptable in an ambulatory trauma therapy program. The findings show promising evidence for symptom reduction. Further evaluation of the Trauma PORTAL's efficacy in a randomized trial is warranted., (© Tina Behdinan et al., 2024; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic positioned healthcare systems in North America at the epicentre of the crisis, placing inordinate stress on clinicians. Concurrently, discussions about structural racism, social justice and health inequities permeated the field of medicine, and society more broadly. The confluence of these phenomena required rapid action from continuing professional development (CPD) leaders to respond to emerging needs and challenges., Methods: In this qualitative study, researchers conducted 23 virtual semistructured interviews with CPD leaders in Canada and the USA. Interview audiorecordings were transcribed, deidentified and thematically analysed., Results: This study revealed that the CPD leaders attributed the pandemic as illuminating and exacerbating problems related to clinician wellness; equity, diversity and inclusion; and health inequities already prevalent in the healthcare system and within CPD. Analysis generated two themes: (1) From heroes to humans: the shifting view of clinicians and (2) Melding of crises: an opportunity for systemic change in CPD., Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic increased recognition of burn-out and health inequities creating momentum in the field to prioritise and restrategise to address these converging public health crises. There is an urgent need for CPD to move beyond mere discourse on these topics towards holistic and sustainable actionable measures., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

This study undertook an exploration of how Adaptive Mentoring Networks focusing on chronic pain, substance use disorders and mental health were supporting primary care providers to engage in compassionate care. The study utilised the Cole-King & Gilbert Compassionate Care Framework to guide qualitative semi-structured interviews of participants in two Adaptive Mentoring Networks in Ontario, Canada. Fourteen physician participants were interviewed including five mentors (psychiatrists) and nine mentees (family physicians) in the Networks. The Cole-King & Gilbert Framework helped provide specific insights on how these mentoring networks were affecting the attributes of compassion such as motivation, distress-tolerance, non-judgement, empathy, sympathy , and sensitivity . The findings of this study focused on the role of compassionate provider communities and the development of skills and attitudes related to compassion that were both being supported in these networks. Adaptive Mentoring Networks can support primary care providers to offer compassionate care to patients with chronic pain, substance use disorders, and mental health challenges. This study also highlights how these networks had an impact on provider resiliency, and compassion fatigue. There is promising evidence these networks can support the "quadruple aim" for healthcare systems (improve patient and provider experience, health of populations and value for money) and play a role in addressing the healthcare provider burnout and associated health workforce crisis., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Background: The long-term mental and physical health implications of childhood interpersonal trauma on adult survivors is immense, however, there is a lack of available trauma-focused treatment services that are widely accessible. This study, utilizing a user-centered design process, sought feedback on the initial design and development of a novel, self-paced psychoeducation and skills-based treatment intervention for this population., Aims: To explore the views and perspectives of adult survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma on the first two modules of an asynchronous trauma-focused treatment program., Methods: Fourteen participants from our outpatient hospital service who completed the modules consented to provide feedback on their user experience. A thematic analysis of the three focus groups was conducted., Results: Four major themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) technology utilization, (2) module content, (3) asynchronous delivery, and (4) opportunity for interactivity. Participants noted the convenience of the platform and the use of multimedia content to increase engagement and did not find the modules to be emotionally overwhelming., Conclusions: Our research findings suggest that an asynchronous virtual intervention for childhood interpersonal trauma survivors may be a safe and acceptable way to provide a stabilization-focused intervention on a wider scale.