Provider engagement in Indiana’s opioid use disorder ECHO programme: there is a will but not always a way

[摘要] Project Extension for Community HealthcareOutcomes (ECHO) is an innovative meansof expanding clinical providers’ knowledgeand skills using virtual case-based learning ina ‘hub-and-spoke’ network of providers andspecialists.1 Especially in rural and underserved areas, where healthcare needs aregreat and access to care may be limited, ECHOpresents a promising continuing educationmodel and way to facilitate management ofcomplex cases.2–5 It also provides clinicianswith digital space for professional collaboration and shared learning, which is valuable intoday’s high-pressure practice environment6and can be rapidly deployed to address criseslike the COVID-19 pandemic.7 However,some practitioners have argued that administrative demands on time, rather than accessto specialty knowledge, are the barrier todeveloping networks of providers for mutualeducation.8 Other providers have noted thatECHO is likely not a ‘panacea for access tospecialty care,’ but rather a ‘force multiplier’for skills transfer.9 It, therefore, is importantto capture and disseminate quality improvement data to determine the ways in whichECHO programmes best can serve providers’specialty healthcare training needs.

[学科分类] 药学

[关键词] continuing education;continuing professional development;continuous quality improvement;telemedicine