Search

Historically, medical geneticists and genetic counselors have provided the majority of genetic services. Advances in technology, reduction in testing costs, and increased public awareness have led to a growing demand for genetic services in both clinical and direct-to-consumer spaces. Recent and anticipated changes in the workforce of genetic counselors and medical geneticists require a reexamination of the way we educate health-care providers and the means by which we provide access to genetic services. The time is ripe for rapid growth of genetic and genomic services, but to capitalize on these opportunities, we need to consider a variety of educational mechanisms to reach providers both within and beyond the traditional genetic counseling and medical genetics sectors, including nurses, physician assistants, and nongenetics physicians. This article summarizes the educational efforts underway in each of these professions.

Problematic internet use has been reported to be high among school students. An online course was developed with an aim to strengthen the capacity of school teachers and counsellors on early identification, detection and intervention for behavioral addictions involving use of internet. The current report presents the observation from the first batch of participants of this course. Of the 28 teachers and counselors who expressed interest by enrollment in the course, a total of 15 participants provided both the pre and post course evaluation forms. The preliminary findings suggest that the online course is feasible, acceptable and effective in strengthening the capacity of school teachers and counsellors on behavioral addictions involving use of internet., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: People with substance use disorder (SUD) experience increased risk for HIV, Hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted illnesses via risky sex. This high-risk population would benefit from sexual risk reduction interventions integrated into SUD treatment. However, many SUD counselors report lack of skill or confidence in addressing sexual risk with patients., Methods: This study was part of a larger nested 2 × 2 factorial repeated measures design, which compared two levels of counselor training (Basic-2 h versus Enhanced-10 h plus ongoing coaching). We determined whether counselors receiving Enhanced training addressing their motivation, confidence and skills (a) increased knowledge about sexual issues; (b) increased self-efficacy to discuss sex with patients; and (c) improved skills in discussing sex as part of SUD treatment, compared with those receiving shorter information-based training. Counselors providing individual therapy at two opioid treatment programs (OTP) and two psychosocial outpatient programs in the United States were eligible. Randomization occurred after Basic training. Measures included self-report (self-efficacy and knowledge) and blinded coding of standardized patient interviews (skill)., Results: Counselors receiving Enhanced training (n = 28) showed significant improvements compared to their Basic training counterparts (n = 32) in self-efficacy, use of reflections, and use of decision-making and communication strategies with standardized patients. These improvements were maintained from post-training to 3-month follow-up. No adverse effects of study participation were reported., Conclusions: Results suggest that counselors can improve their knowledge, self-efficacy and skill related to sexual risk conversations with patients based on modest skills-based training., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Enrichment of school counselors' knowledge would be an effective way to promote sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among adolescents. The present study aims to assess the effect of educational intervention on knowledge and self-efficacy of high school counselors on teenage SRH., Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted between June 2016 and March 2017. One hundred and twelve high school counselors from Tehran were recruited and randomized into two groups. The intervention was comprised of training courses on adolescent SRH as per two educational approaches: the team-based learning (TBL) and lecturing, which consisted of four sessions of 2hours in 2 weeks. The knowledge and feeling of self-efficacy in both groups were assessed at the beginning of the study and 8 weeks after the intervention by researcher-made questionnaires., Results: After intervention, the mean and standard deviation of the knowledge and self-efficacy scores increased significantly in both TBL and lecture groups (p < .001). However, the final mean (standard deviation) of counselors' knowledge and self-efficacy scores in the TBL group were significantly higher than that of those in the lecture group [20.06 (2.74) vs. 18.90 (2.95); p = .03 for knowledge and 43.01 (4.08) versus 41.15 (4.99); p = .03 for self-efficacy] with an almost moderate effect size d = .55 for both outcomes., Conclusions: The better SRH knowledge and self-efficacy in TBL group can be indicative of the group's effect on making challenges, especially in subjects that are socio-religious by nature. It seems that applying learner-centered educational approaches such as TBL can facilitate achieving pre-assigned SRH goals., (Copyright © 2018 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The present study was conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of Project ECHO, a Hub and Spokes tele-mentoring model to bridge the urban-rural divide in mental health and addiction care in the context of a developing country like India. The Counsellors from 11 rural and underserved districts of Chhattisgarh were periodically connected to NIMHANS multidisciplinary specialists by smartphone app and underwent virtual mentoring to learn and translate "best practices" in Mental health and Addiction by using "patient-centric learning", a core component of NIMHANS ECHO model. The outcome evaluation was modelled on Moore's evaluation framework focusing on participant engagement, satisfaction, learning, competence and performance. Over the period of 6 months i.e. 12 tele-ECHO clinics, 41 patients case summaries were discussed by the Counsellors with NIMHANS Hub Specialists. Half of the counsellors could join >80% clinics and overall there were no drop-outs. There was a significant increase in learning and self-confidence after six months. The participants liked "relevance of the courses to clinical practices". "group based discussions" and "a reduction in professionals isolation". The results indicate promise of the NIMHANS ECHO tele-mentoring model as one with potential for capacity-building in mental health and addiction for remote and rural areas by leveraging technology., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mothers of late preterm infants need ongoing support because they often find establishing breastfeeding (BF) to be complex and difficult. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children peer counselors provide BF information and emotional support to new mothers in many communities. However, their current training does not include education about BF for the late preterm infant. The purpose of this report is to present important information about BF and the late preterm infant that can enhance peer counselors' ability to offer appropriate support. The effect of this education on outcomes such as BF rates, maternal self-efficacy, infant hospital readmissions, and peer counselors' self-efficacy needs to be investigated., (Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Since there is a lack of knowledge on the occupational needs of patient representatives (PRs) and counselors (PCs), we performed a study eliciting perceived skills and informational needs in evidence-based medicine (EbM) and health economics (HE) and investigated preferences for training., Methods: Semi-structured interviews and an online survey were conducted among PRs and PCs in Germany. Questions covered perceived skills and informational needs in EbM and HE and preferences for training in both fields. Interview data was analyzed using the grounded theory method. Survey results were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics., Results: Nine personal interviews, one group discussion and 50 survey forms were analyzed. Respondents reported better skills in EbM compared to HE but felt a need for training in both fields. Important barriers mentioned were difficulties in reading scientific articles written in English and understanding statistics. Preferences for training included regionally widespread offers, availability of refresher classes, and a mixture of presence-based and online courses., Conclusion: PRs and PCs perceive a considerable need for formal training in EbM and HE and have clear expectations of the format and design., Practice Implication: Trainings in EbM and HE could help to enhance patient and public involvement (PPI) in Germany., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)