ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Extending the role of allied health professionals has been promoted as a key component of developing a flexible health workforce. This review aimed to synthesize the evidence about the impact of these roles. METHODS: A systematic review of extended scope of practice in five groups: paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists. The nature and effect of these roles on patients, health professionals and health services were examined. An inclusive approach to searching was used to maximize potential sources of interest including multiple databases, 'grey' literature and subject area experts. An expanded Cochrane Collaboration method was used in view of the anticipated lack of randomized controlled trials and heterogeneity of designs. Papers were only excluded after the search stage for lack of relevance. RESULTS: A total of 355 papers was identified as meeting relevance criteria and 21 studies progressed to full review and data extraction. The primary reason for exclusion from data extraction was that the study included neither qualitative nor quantitative data or because methodological flaws compromised data quality. It was not possible to evaluate any pooled effects as patient health outcomes were rarely considered. CONCLUSIONS: A range of extended practice roles for allied health professionals have been promoted and are being undertaken, but their health outcomes have rarely been evaluated. There is also little evidence as to how best to introduce such roles, or how best to educate, support and mentor these practitioners.
Subject(s)
Allied Health Personnel , Professional Role , HumansABSTRACT
Student-teacher and student-student interactions in purely asynchronous distance learning courses are much lacking compared to similar interactions found in face-to-face teaching, causing learners to experience feelings of isolation, thus reducing motivation and increasing dropout rates. We used PalTalk, an Internet text and audio chat client from AVM Software, Inc. (New York, NY), to offer our students live virtual classroom sessions within a unit of our online distance learning M.Sc. program in Healthcare Informatics. On-demand replays of audio excerpts from the sessions were also provided to accommodate absenteeism and for student review. Five students completed an evaluation questionnaire. Our results highlighted the potential merits of using synchronous conferencing to assist in fostering a sense of belonging to one supportive learning community among distance learners and improve educational outcomes. Students were very positive toward the real-time human interaction and voted for a 95/5 (asynchronous/synchronous percentages) blended delivery approach for a typical unit in our program. They also praised PalTalk's voice quality and ease of use. This paper presents educational and technological perspectives about this experiment in the form of a state-of the- art review, without intending to be statistically rigorous. However, robust research evidence is still required to convince educators fully about the benefits of synchronous communication tools and help them decide on the most suitable solutions for their particular circumstances.
