P-1901. Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health for the Infectious Disease Provider - A Self-Paced Supplement for a Global Infectious Disease Education

TL;DR

This paper describes an online course designed to help infectious disease specialists learn about tropical medicine and travelers' health, with positive outcomes reported by participants.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel, accredited online educational supplement for infectious disease providers to address gaps in tropical medicine and travelers' health training.

Findings

59% of participants reported they would make measurable changes in their clinical practice after the course.

Participants ranked individual course sections highly and found the material valuable for improving clinical skills.

Themes of improved travel medicine and infectious disease skills were commonly reported by participants.

Abstract

Five percent of the Infectious Disease board exam focuses on Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health and exposure to these topics in fellowship varies greatly. This often leaves Infectious Disease practitioners unprepared to manage global infections. The University of Minnesota started an asynchronous online course in 2015 focusing on Travel and Tropical Medicine specifically for Infectious Disease specialists to address this gap. The course is accredited for >35 CME hours and includes individual sections focusing on parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and traveler’s health. Modules are available online for participants that currently practice in Infectious Diseases or are training to do so.Figure 1Map including states and countries participants reported residing in. States highlighted in red had at least one participant.Figure 2Graphical representation of responses to the question: “As a result of participating in this activity, will you make any measurable changes in your role?” Yes (23, 59.0%); Possibly. . . I am contemplating change (10; 25.6%); No, but it affirms my practice (6; 15.4%); No, I am unable to implement the suggested changes (0; 0%).

Map including states and countries participants reported residing in. States highlighted in red had at least one participant.

Graphical representation of responses to the question: “As a result of participating in this activity, will you make any measurable changes in your role?” Yes (23, 59.0%); Possibly. . . I am contemplating change (10; 25.6%); No, but it affirms my practice (6; 15.4%); No, I am unable to implement the suggested changes (0; 0%).

This project involved the analysis of course assessments for the various sessions in the course, including pre/post knowledge, skills and attitude tools. Participant evaluations consisted of multiple choice questions, Likert scales, and short answer responses.Figure 3For those that answered “yes” to making changes in clinical practice, the short-answer examples provided were coded and thematically analyzed. The themes of “improved Travel Medicine skills” and “improved clinical Infectious Disease skills” were recurrent.

For those that answered “yes” to making changes in clinical practice, the short-answer examples provided were coded and thematically analyzed. The themes of “improved Travel Medicine skills” and “improved clinical Infectious Disease skills” were recurrent.

39 participants completed the course - 27 MDs, 9 advanced practice providers, 3 other. Registrants reported residency in 17 states and 7 countries (Fig. 1). Participants ranked individual sections highly, and 59% reported that they would make changes in their current practice based on course material (Fig. 2). Individuals indicating they would make a practice change provided short answer examples that were analyzed and thematically coded. The themes of improving infectious disease clinical care and improving travel advice were most frequently observed (Fig. 3).

The University of Minnesota’s Travel & Tropical Medicine for the Infectious Disease Specialist provides a unique and flexible supplemental education that is not currently covered by ID fellowships. Current trainees or practicing providers looking to expand their knowledge base and improve clinical care could consider enrollment.

All Authors: No reported disclosures

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