Academic detailing (AD) is the interaction of a health professional, most commonly a pharmacist, with a physician, to discuss evidence-informed drug therapy. In December 2009 the BC Provincial Academic Detailing (PAD) Service partnered with the eHealth Strategy Office to implement the integration of Technology-Enabled Academic Detailing.
Academic detailing sessions usually take place in the physician’s office, during regular hours or lunch time. With the sheer number and choices of medications, staying current with the expanding evidence base associated with the usage of pharmaceuticals can be challenging. In a systematic review, academic detailing has been shown to be a strong intervention to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based practice guidelines.The Technology-Enabled Academic Detailing Pilot completed in early June. This trial phase was designed to explore the efficacy of academic detailing via web conferencing throughout the various health authorities in BC.
An evaluation of data collected via the pilot is currently underway. The purpose of this evaluation is to support on-going implementation of Technology-Enabled Academic Detailing (TEAD) and develop recommendations to facilitate the wider-scale roll out of the service across BC.
Preliminary findings indicate physician support for both traditional academic detailing and the technology-enabled modality. The pilot demonstrates that TEAD is a both a suitable alternative when AD is not possible, and an effective tool to supplement and enhance the learning experience for physicians who are receiving traditional AD. It is envisioned that AD and TEAD will impact the health system through both cost savings and meeting optimal prescribing targets, objectives which will contribute to the overall quality of care for patients.
If you are interested in learning more about traditional face to face detailing and the BC PAD Service, visit http://www.medmatters.bc.ca/info-hprof/pad.html. For more information on research and implementation of TEAD, please contact Jennifer Cordeiro or Kile Brokop.