Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for quality care: context, mechanisms, outcome and impact

Location:

When did you first introduce the innovation?

Less than 12 months ago

Please describe the innovation you have developed

A Health Education England funded innovation to develop an impact tool that identifies mechanisms for measuring the impact of learning on individual, team and organisational effectiveness in relation to improvements in quality of care and patient outcomes in the workplace. Applicable to any person engaging with learning and development initiatives.

What prompted you to develop this innovation?

Department of Health Education Outcomes Framework funding 2014-2015.

In your view, what is it about this innovation that makes it different/important?

There is no integrative tool currently in existence internationally that measures impact in this way. It takes a whole systems approach developing four transformational learning theories, an impact model, a tool for demonstrating impact at individual, team, service and organisational level. CPD is achievable through the fourfold purposes of:

1. Transforming individual professional practice.
2. Bringing about social change through learning and achieving social values in the workplace.
3. Updating, developing, and making use of knowledge in the workplace.
4. Being useful to the changing needs of society.

To what extent does your innovation make use of existing approaches, resources or technologies?

The tool can be applied in any media and should be embedded in programmes of learning to show impact on patient experience outcomes/community health and well being and integrates indicators of effectiveness that all HEIs can embed. It integrates contemporary learning theory and philosophy.

To what degree has this innovation led to changes in education or clinical practice?

It is being embedded in programmes of learning. We have disseminated to Council of Deans in the hope it will be adopted nationally. We have a PhD project and another research study to evaluate it longitudinally. We are waiting for HEE to advise about national implementation.

What evidence do you have of the impact of the innovation?

Feedback from HEE, RCN, DH and NHS employers indicate they believe it should be adopted nationally.

To what degree has the innovation been disseminated in your organisation or elsewhere?

Presented internationally at conference, 3 papers for publication, presented through workshops and seminars, presented on our website, through twitter and facebook and our ECPD blog page.

Please provide details of any plans you have to disseminate the innovation in the future.

RCN international education conference 2016, several international publications in Journal of Interprofessional Care.