Knowledge and confidence gains after a COVID-19 vaccine continuing education program developed for nurse practitioners.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by rapid innovation in vaccine development. Given that nurse practitioners (NPs) are often involved in vaccine counseling and administration, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners developed a continuing education (CE) series that covered COVID-19 vaccine development, recommendations, administration, and solutions for overcoming hesitancy. In 2020 and 2021, three separate live webinars were delivered; each webinar was updated with the latest vaccine recommendations and was then archived in an enduring format for up to 4 months. The goal of this study was to assess changes in preactivity and postactivity knowledge and confidence and to qualitatively report other learner outcomes. Across the three webinars, 3,580 unique learners who self-reported seeing patients eligible for COVID-19 vaccination completed at least one activity. Knowledge and competence improved from the preactivity to postactivity survey in all webinars, with the overall rates of correct answers increasing by 30% after webinar 1, 37% after webinar 2, and 28% after webinar 3 (all p < .001). Furthermore, mean confidence in learner's ability to address vaccine hesitancy improved across all three webinars (range, 31-32%; all p < .001). The majority of learners indicated that they planned to incorporate lessons from the activity into their clinical practice (range, 85-87%). In postactivity surveys, vaccine hesitancy was identified as an ongoing barrier by up to 33% of learners. In conclusion, this CE activity improved learner knowledge, competence, and confidence related to COVID-19 vaccination and underscores the importance of up-to-date CE targeted to NPs.

Building the 2022 Diabetes Technology Practice Competencies Using Modified Delphi Methodology.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct professional competencies for diabetes technology use in various care settings reflecting the mission of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES). METHOD: ADCES convened a core team of nationally representative diabetes technology experts to develop professional competencies specifically related to diabetes technology use. A modified Delphi methodology, which comprised 4 rounds, was used for consensus development among these experts. First, experts developed and arrived at a consensus on the initial draft of competencies. They also identified health care professionals and staff essential for effective technology integration in various diabetes care settings. A survey was completed by diabetes technology experts that are members of ADCES. Next, a multidisciplinary focus group was conducted to gain feedback. Finally, the edited competencies were distributed via survey for feedback by diabetes technology experts from various disciplines. RESULTS: One hundred four diabetes technology experts in the United States participated in the final survey, representing various health care professions and clinical settings. A final set of 94 competencies across 7 domains was determined. CONCLUSION: Modified Delphi methodology is an effective way to utilize multidisciplinary expertise to develop diabetes technology-related competencies for diabetes care professionals and staff in a variety of settings. These competencies align with the mission of ADCES to empower diabetes care and education specialists to expand the horizons of innovative education, management, and support.

From the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists: The Role of the Diabetes Care and Education Specialist as a Champion of Technology Integration.

It is the position of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists that diabetes care and education specialists should play a central role in establishing and maintaining technology-enabled care in a variety of practice settings to optimize outcomes for people with diabetes and cardiometabolic conditions. The objectives of this position statement are to outline the role of diabetes care and education specialists as leaders in technology integration and to describe the resources and guidance the Association has developed to facilitate success in this role.