Behavioral Training and Performance Management of Human Services Organization Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: This report describes a model of training and performance management that was designed for and implemented with care providers at a residential school for children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The model focused on health and safety concerns, risk mitigation, and intervention integrity. Methods: Procedures followed an applied behavior analysis (ABA) and organizational behavior management (OBM) framework. Action plans addressed (a) critical COVID-19 protocols, (b) behavior-specific implementation guidelines, (c) remote and in-person training formats, (d) in vivo supervision, and (e) knowledge and performance assessments. Results: A competency evaluation (field study) revealed that participant care providers (N = 25) acquired and maintained COVID-19 protocols at near 100% proficiency immediately following and 1-month post-training. Supervisors had uniformly positive approval and acceptance ratings of school responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Integrated and evidence-based care provider training and supervisory practices can promote risk mitigation and performance effectiveness during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. More controlled research that includes multiple dependent measures is needed to replicate and extend our findings to similar human services settings.

A Pilot Study of Medical Misinformation Perceptions and Training Among Practitioners in North Carolina (USA).

Medical misinformation (MM) is a problem for both medical practitioners and patients in the 21st century. Medical practitioners have anecdotally reported encounters with patient-held misinformation, but to date we lack evidence that quantifies this phenomenon. We surveyed licensed practitioners in the state of North Carolina to better understand how often patients mention MM in the clinical setting, and if medical practitioners are trained to engage with patients in these specific conversations. We administered an anonymous, online survey to physicians and physician assistants licensed to practice in the state of North Carolina. Questions focused on demographics, clinical encounters with MM, and training to discuss MM with patients. We received over 2800 responses and analyzed 2183 after removing ineligible responses. Our results showed that most respondents encountered MM from patients (94.2% (2047/2183)), with no significant differences between clinical specialty, time spent in practice, or community type. When asked about specific training, 18% (380/2081) reported formal experiences and 39% (807/289) reported informal experiences. MM has been salient due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it was present before and will remain after the pandemic. Given that MM is widespread but practitioners lack training on engaging patients in these conversations, a sustained effort to specifically train current and future practitioners on how to engage patients about MM would be an important step toward mitigating the spread of MM.