Debbie Kwan

Background: Depression and anxiety affect nearly 1 in 4 Canadians. Traditional patient education materials, such as handouts, are often lengthy and difficult to understand, leading to disengagement. Human-like artificial intelligence (AI) avatars offer a novel way to supplement education by delivering consistent, engaging video content that mimics human interaction and is easily accessible online. Objective: This pilot study aimed to develop a human-like, non-generative AI avatar educational video to support education on antidepressants for patients living with depression and anxiety. The secondary objectives were to evaluate participants perceptions of the tool across 3 domains: credibility, satisfaction, and understanding. Methods: The video was developed through 2 Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, informed by prior research on patient-reported barriers and enablers to antidepressant use. After viewing the video, participants completed a survey assessing the 3 domains. Success was predefined as ≥60% of participants rating each domain ≥4 on a 5-point Likert scale. Open-ended feedback was summarized descriptively to help inform revisions. Results: Fifteen University Health Network (UHN) Patient Partners participated in PDSA Cycle 1, most with lived experience of depression or anxiety and high digital literacy. Success thresholds were achieved for credibility (75%) and satisfaction (67%) but not for understanding (50%). After revisions, 10 participants from the original group completed PDSA Cycle 2, where all domains exceeded thresholds (credibility 90%, satisfaction 85%, understanding 82%). Participants described the tool as trustworthy, clear, and engaging. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated that human-like, non-generative AI avatars can be an effective supplementary educational tool to deliver education on antidepressants for individuals with depression and anxiety. The tool demonstrated acceptability across credibility, satisfaction, and perceived understanding, highlighting its potential to enhance patient engagement and access to reliable information. As a scalable and adaptable format, avatar-based education may extend beyond mental health to other conditions, languages, and clinical settings. Future studies should examine its impact on knowledge retention, treatment adherence, and integration into clinical practice.

Background: Continuing professional development (CPD) and faculty development (FD) are not traditionally combined, although there is evidence that integrating them enhances knowledge acquisition. Objective: To explore preceptors’ perceptions and the effectiveness of CATE (Clinical And Teaching Education), an education model that blends clinical content with the application of that clinical knowledge through a specified teaching technique. Methods: Thirty-five hospital and community pharmacy preceptors from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, participated in CATE, which consisted of a 2-hour synchronous, online workshop integrating clinical content about depression with the “One-Minute Preceptor” (OMP) teaching skill. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected longitudinally using surveys and semistructured interviews. Participant and process outcomes were explored through descriptive and thematic analysis using a modified Kirkpatrick framework. Results: Participants valued the incorporation of educational theory and opportunities to practise the OMP using scripted role plays based on the depression-related content. The combination of FD and CPD was appealing, although participants wanted more clarity about their integration. The CATE model positively influenced their approaches to serving as preceptors, and using the OMP helped to reveal learners’ knowledge gaps. There was a desire to share the teaching technique with colleagues to provide a more cohesive approach to teaching. Conclusions: Integrating CPD and FD in a synchronous, online environment was feasible and well received, and it helped to solidify preceptors’ roles as educators. Combining CPD and FD represents an effective strategy to build the clinical and educational expertise of preceptors, which in turn has the potential to improve the quality of experiential learning for pharmacy students. This novel method of fostering the pedagogical growth of preceptors could be a model for other health professions. Keywords: preceptor development, faculty development, continuing professional development, pharmacy, teaching, education RÉSUMÉ Contexte : Le développement professionnel continu (DPC) et le développement professoral (DP) ne sont pas traditionnellement combinés, même s’il existe des éléments probants indiquant que leur intégration renforce l’acquisition des connaissances.Objectif : Examiner les perceptions des précepteurs et l’efficacité du CATE (Clinical And Teaching Education) : un modèle pédagogique qui allie le contenu clinique à l’application de ces connaissances cliniques grâce à une technique d’enseignement spécifiée. Méthodologie : Trente-cinq précepteurs de pharmacies d’hôpitaux et communautaires de la Faculté de pharmacie Leslie Dan de l’Université de Toronto ont participé au CATE, qui consistait en un atelier en ligne synchrone de deux heures intégrant un contenu clinique sur la dépression avec la compétence pédagogique « précepteur-minute ». Les données qualitatives et quantitatives ont été recueillies longitudinalement à l’aide d’enquêtes et d’entretiens semi-structurés. Les résultats des participants et du processus ont été étudiés au moyen d’une analyse descriptive et thématique utilisant un cadre de Kirkpatrick modifié. Résultats : Les participants ont apprécié l’intégration de la théorie pédagogique et des occasions de pratiquer la compétence du précepteur- minute à l’aide de jeux de rôle scénarisés basés sur le contenu lié à la dépression. La combinaison du DP et du DPC était attrayante, même si les participants souhaitaient plus de clarté sur leur intégration. Le modèle CATE a influencé positivement leurs approches en matière de préceptorat, et l’utilisation de la technique précepteur-minute a contribué à révéler les lacunes des connaissances des apprenants. Il y avait une volonté de partager la technique d’enseignement avec des collègues pour offrir une approche plus cohérente de l’enseignement. Conclusions : L’intégration du DPC et du DP dans un environnement en ligne synchrone était réalisable et a été bien accueillie; elle a contribué à consolider le rôle des précepteurs en tant qu’éducateurs. La combinaison du DPC et du DP constitue une stratégie efficace pour développer l’expertise clinique et pédagogique des précepteurs, ce qui, à son tour, a le potentiel d’améliorer la qualité de l’apprentissage expérientiel des étudiants en pharmacie. Cette nouvelle méthode visant à favoriser la croissance pédagogique des précepteurs pourrait constituer un modèle pour d’autres professions de la santé. Mots-clés : développement des précepteurs, développement du corps professoral, développement professionnel continu, pharmacie, enseignement, éducation

Background: During the pandemic, experiential rotations transitioned from in-person to remote rotations. Methods: The authors surveyed preceptors about their experiences and perceptions of remote rotations. Preceptors completed an online questionnaire divided into six domains: 1) General demographics; 2) Preceptor/student relationship; 3) Preceptor support and continuing professional development opportunities; 4) Technology; 5) Preceptor perceptions; and 6) Motivators and challenges. Responses were coded and analysed for emerging themes. Results: A total of 47 out of 157 preceptors (30%) responded to the questionnaire, and most preceptors were willing to precept remotely again (85%). Student responsiveness (87%) and enjoyment of teaching (83%) were the greatest motivators. Major themes reflected the preceptor’s struggles in building rapport and facilitating in-the-moment learning opportunities. Preceptors identified guidance and on-going support as key factors to ensure preceptor and student readiness and to manage expectations. The formula for a successful rotation included careful consideration of appropriate pedagogy, technology, and a dose of motivation. Conclusion: Preceptors reflected a positive experience in leading remote rotations. Traditional precepting approaches employed during in-person rotations need to be adapted and individualised for the context of remote rotations, highlighting that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Transitioning to a remote environment generates new opportunities and drives innovation.

Background: Depression affects approximately 280 million individuals globally and it is a leading cause of disability. Despite effective medication options, 50% of patients prematurely discontinue antidepressants within 6 months. We sought to understand patients’ perspectives regarding their needs and expectations related to antidepressants. Objectives: To identify and describe enablers and barriers that influence adult patients’ medication adherence in depression treatment and to explore patients’ educational needs on initiating or continuing antidepressant therapy. Methods: Qualitative descriptive study was conducted using individual, semi-structured interviews of adult patients with depression who were prescribed an antidepressant within 3 months of study recruitment at an urban primary care clinic in Toronto, Canada. Thirteen participants were interviewed. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim for inductive thematic analysis. Results: Six themes emerged: safety and effectiveness of antidepressant, understanding of depression and its management, medication administration, healthcare experiences in the treatment of depression, and social influences and relationships. Barriers to adherence included adverse effects of antidepressants, preference for non-pharmacological therapies, uncertainty about therapeutic effects, and social stigma. In contrast, enablers were positive responses from antidepressants, fear of relapse, reminder aids, established routine, and a trusting patient-provider relationship. Participants desired access to reliable, evidence-based, and personalized educational information delivered through verbal, written, and digital formats to support antidepressant adherence. Conclusion: To overcome the identified barriers, educational strategies should involve both patients and their prescribers to identify patient-specific needs and treatment goals, engage in shared decision-making, and maintain consistent follow-up to support antidepressant adherence.

Background and Rationale: Numerous calls have been made for faculty development programming to better address faculty members’ ongoing needs, to situate training strategies within the workplace and to utilize social learning perspectives, communities of practice in particular. Reviews have pointed to a paucity of published qualitative research on faculty development communities of practice and, more generally, on the processes of change and the organizational contexts in which interventions are implemented. Intervention: An initiative was started to instigate education scholarship communities of practice in three highly distinct academic health care settings, to address faculty members’ ongoing needs for community and, ultimately, to serve as a source of support for the application of new knowledge to routine education activities. A research project was launched jointly to describe the process and progress of attempting to develop communities of practice at the three sites and to identify common and unique influences on sites’ progress. Data Collection: Phone interviews were conducted with group facilitators from each site following group meetings, for the duration of the initiative. Analysis: Multiple case study methodology was employed to describe and compare the processes and progress of attempting to initiate communities of practice at the three sites and to identify obstacles related to organizational context. Findings: All three sites made limited progress in developing a shared domain of interest and a shared history of regular interaction (i.e. regular meetings). Participants identified different professional backgrounds and different education practices as challenges to establishing shared interest. More prominently, they identified busy schedules, geographic barriers, and absence of protected time as obstacles to regular and consistent meetings. Discussion: Difficulty establishing shared interest and shared history are considered in light of the unclear meaning of “education scholarship”, cognitive and ethical boundaries between professions, and time constraints within modern, highly complex academic healthcare settings. Conclusions: While CoPs may appeal as self-sustaining, low-cost alternatives to formal programming, limited progress is possible without institutional investment and allowance commensurate with the implied scope and challenges. Keywords: faculty development, education scholarship, community of practice, qualitative research Keywords: faculty development, education scholarship, community of practice, qualitative research

(2011). Evaluating the effectiveness of an interprofessional education faculty development course: The transfer of interprofessional learning to the academic and clinical practice setting. Journal of Interprofessional Care: Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 156-157. doi: 10.3109/13561820.2010.515044