International Continuing Education for Rehabilitation Workers in Honduras: a Pre-test Post-test Evaluation

Adriana Angarita-Fonseca , Stacey Lovo , Isabel Cristina Gomez-Diaz , Julia Bidonde , Martha Liliana Hijuelos-Cardenas , Maria Basualdo , Kalyani Premkumar , Melvin Urbina-Nuñez , Angela Busch
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.47985/dcidj.451
Submitted: 2020-12-17 14:47:12
Published: 2022-02-01

Background: The knowledge of Honduran healthcare workers who deliver rehabilitation services can be enhanced by support from community-engaged academic collaborations outside the country.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate reactions and learning linked to two continuing education workshops for rehabilitation workers in northern Honduras.

Method: A pre-test post-test study design was used. In September 2017, faculty from Canada and Colombia, together with health professionals from Honduras, facilitated two neurorehabilitation workshops - one in a rehabilitation centre and the other in a family support organisation located in northern Honduras. The participants were physiotherapists, physicians, nurses and educational professionals, as well as a psychologist, kinesiologist, and non-professionals trained onsite. Seventeen participants attended the ‘Acquired brain injury/spinal cord injury workshop’ (adult workshop), and 15 attended the ‘Rehabilitation for children with impaired neuromotor development workshop’ (paediatric workshop). They completed three questionnaires before the workshops: one on sociodemographic information; one related to knowledge; and, the Modified Stages of Learning Questionnaires (MSLQs). Three questionnaires were completed after the workshops: the Modified Kirkpatrick; a knowledge questionnaire; and, the MSLQ.

Results: Most of the participants agreed that the workshops had positive effects in two of the four Kirkpatrick levels that were evaluated: reaction and learning. In the MSLQs of the paediatric workshop, there was a statistically significant change in the percentage of participants who moved from scanning/evaluation stages in the pre-test to learning/gaining experience in the post-test, in three of the six topics. Three of the knowledge questions showed important learning effects.

Conclusion and Implications: Workshops offered through an international collaboration resulted in enhancing learning and knowledge of neurological rehabilitation workers in Honduras.  This initiative has the potential to improve the quality of care for people with neurological conditions in the region. Participants evaluated the workshops as relevant and held very positive attitudes about the perceived outcomes. The inclusion of local practitioners in planning the workshops and selecting the topics appeared to have aided their relevance. It is recommended that workshop planners take adequate time to ensure relevancy.

Keywords

Physical therapy specialty rehabilitation nervous system diseases health education global health

Authors

Adriana Angarita-Fonseca
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3806-8468
Adriana Angarita-Fonseca is a Postdoctoral fellow at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. Adriana completed her Ph.D. in Community and Population Health Science from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. She is a researcher in the Clinical Management Research Group and the Comprehensive Physiotherapy Research Group at the Universidad de Santander.
Stacey Lovo
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6112-5606
Stacey Lovo is an Assistant Professor at the School of Rehabilitation Science, University of Saskatchewan. She was also the Program Director of Continuing Physical Therapy Education at the University of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2020. Stacey’s research focus is on access to physical therapy in rural remote regions using technology, culturally responsive healthcare, and team-based care. She is also interested in the continuing development of interprofessional health care providers. Stacey’s clinical work was in outpatient orthopedics.
Isabel Cristina Gomez-Diaz
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1691-8628
Isabel Cristina Gómez is a Professor at the Universidad de Santander, Colombia, and Researcher cum Professor at Neurotrauma Center. She obtained a Master's degree in Neurorehabilitation. She received several diplomas in basic epidemiology, methodological and pedagogical tools for developing independent learning, and competency-based learning in health sciences. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience. Isabel's main research interest is neurorehabilitation in adults.
Julia Bidonde
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7535-678X
Julia Bidonde (PhD) is a Senior Research Consultant at the York Health Economics Consortium (UK) and a Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Norway). She is affiliated to the School of Physical Therapy, University of Saskatchewan (Canada). Julia has been involved in the “synthesis” field becoming a Cochrane author and specializing in evidence synthesis research methods. After her Ph.D., she joined the Clinical Guidelines team at NICE (UK), gaining experience in guideline development and production. In 2017, Julia was awarded a CIHR Health System Impact fellowship to work in partnership with McMaster University (Centre of Health Economic and Policy Analysis) and the Canadian Agency of Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) in public and patient engagement in health technology management. She has worked as part of EUnetHTA and international collaborations related to health technology assessment and global health.
Martha Liliana Hijuelos-Cardenas
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0025-1139
Martha Liliana Hijuelos-Cardenas is a Physiotherapist with 24 years of experience. She has worked in administrative positions at UDES such as Dean of the Health Faculty in 2010, Director of the Physiotherapy Program since 2005, and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences since 2011.
Maria Basualdo
Maria Basualdo is an independent researcher. She was the Community Research Coordinator at Ontario Public Interest Research Group, University of Ottawa from 2012 to 2019. She has vast experience in community development.
Kalyani Premkumar
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6127-7498
Kalyani Premkumar is a Professor at the Community Health & Epidemiology Department, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Currently, she leads the Masters in Education for Health Professions Educators at the College of Medicine in the same university. Her research interests include evaluation of multimedia resources for health professionals, use of technology in medical teaching/learning, simulation, educational games, curriculum design, complementary and alternative medicine, self-directed learning, educational technology, and faculty development.
Melvin Urbina-Nuñez
Melvin Urbina Nuñez is a Physiatrist who graduated from the National Autonomous University of Honduras, and studies in Neurorehabilitation at the National Rehabilitation Institute of Mexico. He is currently enrolled in a Postgraduate Program in Pain Management at the San Martín de Porras University, Lima, Peru. He works at the Centro de Rehabilitación Integral del Litoral Atlántico (CRILA), La Ceiba, Atlántida, at the Centro de Rehabilitación Integral de Colón (CRICOL) in Tocoa, Colon, Honduras and at Clinicas Medicentro, La Ceiba. He is a speaker and promoter of inclusive education in the Atlantic Coast of Honduras.
Angela Busch
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3060-6153
Angela Busch is a Professor Emerita of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Since 2015, she has dedicated herself to volunteer work to help build rehabilitation capacity in Honduras. She obtained her Diploma in Physical Therapy in 1971 and her doctoral degree in Community Health Sciences in 2005. She practiced physical therapy from 1971 to 1995 during which time she specialized in rheumatology and administration. In 1995 she joined the faculty of the University of Saskatchewan where she taught research methods, physical therapy assessment and treatment methods, and rheumatology and where she worked as director of the School of Physical Therapy for more than eight years. Her areas of research are evidence synthesis and exercise for fibromyalgia.

How to Cite

Adriana Angarita-Fonseca, Stacey Lovo, Isabel Cristina Gomez-Diaz, Julia Bidonde, Martha Liliana Hijuelos-Cardenas, Maria Basualdo, Kalyani Premkumar, Melvin Urbina-Nuñez, Angela Busch (2022-02-01). International Continuing Education for Rehabilitation Workers in Honduras: a Pre-test Post-test Evaluation. Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, Vol. 32 No. 4: Winter 2021, 13-39. https://doi.org/10.47985/dcidj.451

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