The Development of an Evidence-Informed Program on Residents-As-Teachers to Residents-As-Role Models: a Knowledge Translation Study

BackgroundResidents are critical teachers for medical learners in the clinical settings. Given their proximity to learners in daily practice, residents not only teach medical knowledge and skills but also demonstrate professional values and behaviors as role models. Role modeling is emphasized as a fundamental strategy by which clinicians or residents teach students and, reciprocally, as an indispensable way in which students learn from clinical teachers. Previous residents-as-teachers (RAT) curricula have mainly focused on acquisition of teaching skills by residents. Introducing role modeling skills and engaging residents with the cognitive awareness as role models have recently drawn an increased attention. In response to the call for promoting evidence-informed health professions education, how to better promote the uptake of RAT knowledge into educational practice by residents remains scarcely investigated.AimBy adopting a knowledge translation approach, we aim to develop an evidence-informed program on residents-as-teachers to residents-as-role models (RAT-RARM) and evaluate the program outcomes in order to fill the identified knowledge to practice gaps in RAT literature. With these means, we seek to enhance resident teaching effectiveness and support the development of residents as role models with evidence-informed, targeted and tailored strategies at different contexts.Research DesignThis is a three-year knowledge translation (KT) study informed by Knowledge to Action (KTA) framework with adoption of a mutiple-methods approach.In the first year, we design a qualitative interview study to identify the barriers and enablers for the uptake of RAT knowledge by RAT relevant stakeholders (including residency program directors, RAT program developers, residents, and medical students). Focus group and individual interviews will be conducted for data collection. Data analysis will be informed by the Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF) to identify barriers and enablers, which will be the outcome to inform the design of KT interventions.In the second year, we will develop intervention strategies of a RAT-RARM KT program targeting the identified barriers and enablers to address implementation challenges through iterative discussions among an expert panel. Then, we will conduct a participatory action research to pilot the program and adapt the intervention components to local contexts. Focus group interviews with stakeholders and field notes on observations of resident teaching activities and RAT program processes will be collected as data for content analysis. The outcome will be a tailored evidenced informed RAT-RARM KT program ready for implementation.In the third year, we will implement the evidence-informed RAT-RARM KT program, and, by using a case study design, we will monitor and evaluate the processes and outcomes of the program. Multiple sources of data will be collected, including individual and focus group interviews, observation field notes, , documents of RAT processes, audio-diaries of resident participants, use of a resident efficacy questionnaire (REQ) will be collected for analysis. The outcome will be the evaluation report on impacts of the RAT-RARM KT program at three levels: individual, organizational, and system; and the proposed tailored strategies for program sustainability at local contexts.

Project ID:PF10907-1838
External Project ID:MOST109-2511-H182-005