Can a one-day workshop alter surgeons' teaching practices?

BACKGROUND: A 1-day workshop, consisting of five sections with small group discussions and opportunities for practical application of participants' knowledge, was developed to enhance the teaching skills of practicing surgeons. Immediate and long-term follow-up surveys were completed by the participants. METHODS: Post-workshop evaluations were obtained from all participants who took the workshop; follow-up surveys were mailed 4 to 6 months later. RESULTS: Workshop quality was rated as good (25%) or excellent (75%) by all participants. Follow-up survey results indicated that many participants had rarely/never utilized cited references, looked for additional resources on specific topics, or referred to the section syllabus/handout materials provided during the workshop. However, 100% of the participant respondents reported that they had changed the way they teach as a result of their workshop attendance. CONCLUSION: An abbreviated course on surgical education can result in long-term changes in the participants' perceptions of their teaching practices. Further study is required to determine if these perceived changes in teaching practices, which the participants have directly attributed to their workshop attendance, have resulted in measurable improvement in their effectiveness and efficiency as teachers.

Learn, share, and live: breast cancer education for older, urban minority women.

Among older urban minority women, for whom breast cancer risk is high and the propensity to be screened is low, both social support and breast cancer knowledge have been linked to mammography use. The authors describe a theory-based breast cancer education program implemented via an existing informal network for low-income urban elderly coordinated by a social service agency. The program is both structured and flexible. Core education sessions include delineated content and methods and are led by health professionals. Participants choose from a variety of follow-up activities to promote screening within their community. Pre- and posttests administered among 80 program attendees in two sites indicate significant improvement in knowledge (p < .001). Program attendees in each site also planned and participated in follow-up activities to promote screening among their peers. Learn, Share, and Live seems to be an effective program for promoting breast cancer screening among older, urban, primarily minority women.