"It takes more effort to go the extra mile. But it’s also more rewarding"

The Nijmegen University Knowledge Network for Elderly Care (UKON) successfully adapted the ‘Doen bij Depressie’ care programme into a microlearning module for healthcare professionals and into teaching materials for vocational healthcare education. What worked (and what didn’t) in this process?

The effectiveness of the multidisciplinary care programme ‘Doen bij depressie’ was scientifically proven in 2013. Older people with depression, with or without dementia, benefit from it. A course comprising three half-days was organised for (mental health) psychologists who were to work with this care programme. An e-learning course was provided for care professionals in residential care homes.

Over time, interest also emerged from other disciplines. Vocational care teachers and care professionals wanted to know more about it. This prompted network coordinators Simona Van de Vinne, Charlotte van Corven and their colleagues at UKON to revise the material and make it available to (future) care professionals.

Interdisciplinary collaboration encourages

For this project, healthcare professionals, researchers and teachers worked closely together. Van de Vinne kept everyone informed of the progress. Motivating teachers, students and healthcare professionals proved unnecessary: they recognised the importance themselves and contributed valuable knowledge and experience. “What’s more, they enjoyed learning from one another,” says Van de Vinne. Every participant knew at least one enthusiastic colleague who also wanted to contribute ideas. And she knew exactly what she could ask of and expect from her colleagues.

Don’t do everything yourself

The course for psychologists had been in use for years. But which aspects of this knowledge do other healthcare professionals need? And how do you adapt this for vocational education teaching materials? Van Corven initially thought a guest lecture would be a good idea. But a vocational education teacher soon pointed out that students aren’t particularly enthusiastic about that sort of thing. Van Corven and Van de Vinne realised: we shouldn’t try to do everything ourselves.

The UKON team learnt a great deal from the knowledge and experience that teachers have when it comes to knowledge transfer. From healthcare professionals, they learnt exactly how they want to receive knowledge. Van de Vinne and Van Corven also enlisted the help of a graphic designer to produce the materials. Van Corven: “That costs money, but it was more than worth it.”

First agree on the approach, then try it out

After pooling the knowledge of lecturers, students and healthcare professionals, they arrived at a microlearning format: short, compact lessons lasting no more than a few minutes a day, which healthcare professionals can follow at their own pace over a number of weeks. It wasn’t certain beforehand whether this would succeed. But the feedback on this format has been very positive.

Now that they know it works, Van de Vinne and Van Corven want to develop more topics in this way: first coordinating with the education sector and the field, and then trialling them as part of a well-thought-out concept.

Online evaluation? On-site works better

Following the development of the material, a pilot was conducted with a care team of 16 healthcare professionals. An online evaluation was also carried out. However, no responses were received. What was going on? Van de Vinne discovered that healthcare professionals simply do not spend much time working on a laptop and do not have time to complete online questionnaires. “Popping in during the coffee break turned out to be the solution.” It takes a bit more effort, but it also yields much better feedback. “In one-to-one conversations, the healthcare professionals found it easier to share their thoughts than via a questionnaire.”