PATIENT WP3-Deliverable: Development of Learning Outcomes [Public Part]

Purpose The aim of Work Package 3 of the PATIENT Project is to develop, by consultation, agreed Learning Outcomes for teaching of Handover in a healthcare context, contributing to standardization of handover procedures in Europe. These learning outcomes are to be generated using consensus from a panel of experts. Method The method for developing learning outcomes involved the participants in activities that most professionals are used to: idea generation, sorting of ideas into groups and rating the ideas on some values (e.g. importance and difficulty to achieve). The analysis applies multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis to visually depict the experts’ shared representations on the learning outcomes as thematic groups. One of the distinguishing characteristics of GCM is the visualisation of the results from the analysis. Visualisation allows for grasping at once the emerging data structures and their interrelationships to support decision-making. Group Concept Mapping produces three main types of visualisations: conceptual maps, pattern matches and go-zones. Conclusions This study provided not only an empirical basis for identifying the main learning outcomes areas, but also suggested how to operationally define them (through the statements in each cluster). These learning outcomes are extensive and may be more suitable for incorporation into the medical curriculum as a whole rather than simply a specific training module on handover. However those outcomes considered most important were also among those considered most difficult to deliver.