Practice Improvement Through Meaningful Measurement: Making Practice Trends Accessible and Embedded within Adult Mental Health Learning
The Health Data Coalition (HDC), Practice Support Program (PSP), and UBC Faculty of Medicine's Division of Continuing Professional Development (UBC CPD) have partnered with select Divisions of Family Practice throughout British Columbia to host small group learning pilot programs that combine embedded practice measures with education pertaining to topics on adult mental health. The goal of this pilot is to encourage health professionals to incorporate practice data alongside the Adult Mental Health education.
The education is divided into two parts: 1) Three online modules available now and 2) In-person, small-group pilot sessions by invitation only.
"Data-informed education is not just about numbers and statistics. It's about understanding the needs, strengths and challenges of each learner, and providing them with personalized support and feedback. Data-informed education can help adults improve their mental health by boosting their confidence, motivation and resilience."
– Dr. Bruce Hobson, Physician Co-Lead
Online Learning
Available now, health professionals can register for the Beyond the Diagnosis of Adult Mental Health courses. Accredited for 1.0 Mainpro+ credits, each course addresses mental health concerns commonly encountered in family practice. Learn more and register:
The online modules are open to all health professionals. For those participating in a small group learning session, participants will select one case study and you will be informed which online module to complete in advance of the in-person group session.
Small Group Learning
Available by invitation only due to capacity, learners can attend a small group, in-person learning session after completing the online learning modules listed above. Each small group learning session is certified for Mainpro+ credits and includes a 2-hour facilitated in-person discussion-based session. Divisions of Family Practice, on behalf of their members, can select one of four case studies:
The Individual Using Substances to Self-Medicate
The Individual Affected by Chronic Disease
The Individual with Underlying Trauma
The Individual with the “Problem List”
These sessions aim to provide learners with essential knowledge and practical approaches to enable timely implementation of best practices, guideline-informed care, and practice-ready resources into workflow. Local facilitators help create safe spaces to allow communities of practice peers to explore unique needs, based on HDC Discover aggregate community and participating individual practice data where available. This real-time community data may help focus potential solutions, as well as foster pivotal relationships amongst peers, develop a common understanding of the key issues presenting to clinicians, and standardize approaches for clinicians to effectively utilize the resources available, while benefiting from an accredited and facilitated quality CPD opportunity.
The chosen pilot communities will select one of the four pre-established case studies related to common Adult Mental Health challenges that is most relevant to their community’s family physician practices. Selected communities are encouraged to consider their community-specific needs and challenges when selecting a case study. Each of the case studies explores the role of primary care in addressing common mental health issues.
Pilot Community Sessions:
- Cowichan Valley - October 26th 2023
- Surrey/North Delta - November 28th 2023
- Fraser Northwest - January 29th 2024
- East Kootenay - March 6th 2024
- Prince George - April 23rd 2024
- Cowichan Valley - May 7th, 2024
- Central Island & Cowichan Valley Joint Virtual Session - December 11, 2024
Post-Session (Optional): Quality Improvement (QI) Action Plan
During your small group learning session, health professionals who discover specific areas for improvement in their own clinical environments can request post-course quality improvement supports. HDC Clinical Services team members can help you review your data and think about areas you may want to consider for action. PSP Coaches are ready to help you think through how to apply what you learned during the session, measure success, and sustain improvements in your practice. You can reach out to PSP ahead of the session here if you would like to get started early.
“Through the incorporation of knowledge and skills to implement best practice, data-informed reflection can enable one to see where in one’s practice the successes and challenges in adult mental health exist. With the support of the Practice Support Program, a quality improvement cycle is also possible and allows tracking of the progress over time.”
– Dr. Shirley Sze, Physician Co-Lead
Our Partners
The Health Data Coalition (HDC) is an initiative of the Family Practice Services Committee and a physician-led data sharing initiative that encourages self-reflection and facilitates quality improvements in patient care. Our mission is to provide trusted and meaningful access to health information to support new knowledge, improvement of patient outcomes, and the sustainability of health care. We envision a system where health data is shared and transformed into knowledge and wisdom for better care. Our work is patient-centered; the ultimate value of our efforts will be seen in improved outcomes for patients.
The Practice Support Program (PSP) is an initiative of the Family Practice Services Committee (a joint partnership between the Government of BC and the Doctors of BC). PSP offers services for family physicians to optimize their practice, enhance their use of health technology, and more effectively manage their patient panel. The PSP takes a quality improvement approach with a focus on leveraging in-practice coaching services using clinical and practice management tools, resources, and learning opportunities.