1. Clinicians' Core Needs in a Pandemic: Qualitative Findings From the Chat Box in a Statewide COVID-19 ECHO Program
- Author
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Steeves-Reece, Anna L., Elder, Nancy C., Broadwell, Katherine D., and Stock, Ronald D.
- Subjects
Self-help groups -- Usage -- Educational aspects -- Health aspects ,Epidemics -- Social aspects -- Control ,Primary health care -- Management -- Training ,Chat rooms -- Usage -- Health aspects -- Educational aspects ,Physicians (General practice) -- Training ,Chat room/discussion group ,Company business management ,Health ,Science and technology - Abstract
PURPOSE Research on primary care's role in a pandemic response has not adequately considered the day-to-day needs of clinicians in the midst of a crisis. We created an Oregon COVID-19 ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program, a telementoring education model for clinicians. The program was adapted for a large audience and encouraged interactivity among the hundreds of participants via the chat box. We assessed how chat box communications within the statewide program identified and ameliorated some of clinicians' needs during the pandemic. METHODS We conducted a qualitative analysis of chat box transcripts from 11 sessions. We coded transcripts using the editing method, whereby analysts generate categories predominantly from the data, but also from prior knowledge. We then explored the context of clinicians' needs in a pandemic, as conceptualized in Maslow's hierarchy of needs adapted for physicians: physiologic, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. RESULTS The mean number of chat box participants was 492 per session (range, 385 to 753). Participants asked 1,452 questions and made 819 comments throughout the program. We identified 3 key themes: seeking answers and trustworthy information, seeking practical resources, and seeking and providing affirmation and peer support. These themes mapped onto the Maslow's needs framework. We found that participants were able to create a virtual community in the chat box that supported many of their needs. CONCLUSIONS Using a novel data source, we found sharing the experience of practicing in a rapidly changing environment via comments and questions in an ECHO program both defined and supported participants' needs. Key words: COVID-19; primary health care; clinician well-being; project ECHO; professional practice; support groups; communication; health informatics; continuing medical education, INTRODUCTION As COVID-19 moved across the United States in early 2020, primary care clinicians faced dramatic changes to their practices, often with little assistance and inconsistent guidance. (1) Without a [...]
- Published
- 2022
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