Using Personal Learning Goals for Participants in Collaborative an International Health Partnership Project: Experiences from the Region Östergötland Model

Abstract

Introduction:

International health partnerships have often been characterized by wealthier countries or organizations pushing resources and money into projects in countries with different needs. This can be new technologies, building facilities, and/or training personnel. Often this has been assessed in the amount of money spent. In recent years more focus has been put on synergy effects in involved organizations. Hence the change from aid to partnerships. A previous study focused on the subjective perception of the workforce regarding clinical skills, management skills, communication & teamwork, etc. (Jones et al., 2013). This paper focuses on defining learning goals and using a model by Patzauer (2022) as a complement to traditional partnership evaluation measures.

Method:

Seven team members from a health partnership participated in a project for implementing ambulance service treatment guidelines through training of the partner's ambulance personnel and instructors. The training took place during one week in the partnership country. All Swedish participants were nurses actively working as ambulance personnel or had previously worked in ambulances. Before the training week the participants answered a questionnaire with open questions about their personal learning goals and expectations for the training week. At the end of the week, after having trained ambulance personnel, they answered another questionnaire with open questions addressing what they had learned.

Results:

Analysis of the responses showed that the participants expected to acquire both personal and clinical skills. Afterwards, they had improved language skills, self-efficacy, and becoming better instructors.

Conclusion:

The model of using learning goals as an integral part of evaluating health care partnerships provides knowledge that is useful both in terms of assessing the project, and also as input to participants' managers showing clinical and organizational benefits. Including personal learning goals as a part of partnership projects' evaluation, provide useful knowledge about benefits and experiences that improves the organizations.