Customer Overview
The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is a medical association that helps clinicians optimize the day-to- day practice of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine through education, communication and research for the best possible patient outcomes. Currently, its 20,000+ members get access to the latest forward-thinking programs in clinical medical education, new skills and knowledge to advance their careers, as well as a community of innovative problem-solvers who inspire and energize one another.
Their clinical education program is internationally recognized and accredited, and their Accreditation with Commendation from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education places CHEST in the highest tier of continuing medical education providers.
Challenge
Due to the medical field’s ever-changing nature, routine educational classes and seminars can only take learners so far. And due to the science behind the forgetting curve, critical information is often not retained over time. Understanding the high stakes of practicing medicine in a compliance-driven environment, CHEST came to Qstream looking for an engaging way to reinforce key information, promote knowledge gain and retention and most importantly, ensure professionals are implementing the proper procedures and practices in the field.
While CHEST already had an impressive educational program in place consisting of live, in-person and online sessions, self-study products, as well as interactive learning games, they found it challenging to measure the impact of their efforts and take their commitment to longitudinal learning – or bite-sized, continuous education over time in addition to longer courses – to the next level.
Medical professionals are busy and traditional training and LMS courses are time consuming, taking them off the floor and cutting into their time caring for patients. While Robb Rabito, Senior Director for Program Development at CHEST, and his team understand that these courses are necessary, many of which are often sent to accrediting bodies to maintain licensure, he also recognizes the need to supplement longer learning courses with microlearning to realize the full benefits of a well-rounded learning ecosystem.
Solution
Robb and his team introduced Qstream’s microlearning technology to round out their current curriculum and further their commitment to longitudinal learning. Microlearning challenges (bite-size assessments) are distributed in conjunction with their other learning programs to reinforce knowledge and calculate precise proficiency metrics for upskilling and coaching opportunities. This ensures that critical information is retained and applied in the field for excellent patient care.
With Qstream in place, CHEST members receive quick and convenient scenario-based questions on a regular cadence throughout the week, which can be answered via a mobile device during a lunch break and even as they’re arriving at or leaving work. This on-the-go training prevents disruption in their busy daily work routines. Learners can answer the question in a matter of seconds and get the instant gratification of knowing they got it right. In the event they answer the question incorrectly, they get instant access to a brief explanation of the correct answer and the opportunity to get it right the next time it’s asked.
This repetition is proven to increase knowledge retention dramatically by giving learners multiple attempts on individual questions, something other learning and development technologies don’t offer. Qstream’s algorithms schedule the delivery and redelivery of questions based on performance and at key points in time to reinforce the information before it is likely to be forgotten.
Results
Overall, CHEST’s Covid-19 Qstream was a success. Although the challenge was voluntary, the series boasted nearly a 75% participation rate. This speaks to the commitment of these medical professionals to patient care, despite demanding work schedules throughout the pandemic.
Looking toward the future
Learning in the medical field is a lifelong effort and the constant development of new information means Robb and his team’s job is never done.
So, how will Qstream factor into CHEST’s learning in the future? CHEST has already incorporated Qstream to complement multiple offerings in their learning curriculum and plans to continue to do so as their programs evolve to make them more impactful. The goal is to embrace hybrid learning in its entirety by leveraging live, hands-on programs at their state-of-the-art education center as well as additional learning opportunities through Qstream. Moreover, CHEST aims to offer a comprehensive learning journey and engage its members at scale with relevant information that will make them better at what they do.