AN INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP - AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF INTEGRATING THE CANADIAN-CARDIOVASCULAR-SOCIETY CLINICAL-PRACTICE GUIDELINES ON CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE INTO CANADIAN FAMILY PHYSICIANS PRACTICE

OBJECTIVE: To use an interactive worshop as a means of integrating cli nical practice guidelines on congestive heart failure into Canadian fa mily physicians' practice. SETTING: Interested practitioners from the Association des Medecins Omnipraticiens de Quebec, the Centre de Sante Publique de Quebec and the continuing medical education (CME) departm ent, Merck Frosst Canada, Montreal, formed the initial task force. Tra in-the-trainer sessions took place in many provinces in a variety of C ME settings. DESIGN: The interactive, problem-based workshop was facil itated by local interested general practitioners, while local experts served as consultants to reinforce key messages from clinical practice guidelines and to guide participants through the learning process. MA IN RESULTS: By December 31, 1996, 187 family practitioners and 81 spec ialists had been trained in train-the-trainer sessions across the coun try. A total of 1698 general practitioners had participated in over 52 workshops during the same time. Pre- and postworkshop testing indicat e that the workshops improved knowledge, and that the knowledge gained during the workshop was retained at three- and six-months' follow-up. Separate chart evaluations conducted before and after the workshop sh owed that participants provided more complete chart information relate d to congestive heart failure and that they significantly increased th eir use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy after the w orkshop. Participant evaluation of the workshop also indicates a high index of satisfaction with the presentation and the content of the wor kshop as being relevant to clinical practice. CONCLUSION: An interacti ve, problem-based, small group workshop developed by a core group of i nterested practitioners and guided by local trained facilitators and e xperts is an effective teaching tool through which clinical practice g uidelines can be successfully transferred into clinical practice in a timely and meaningful way.