title: Optimizing learning in healthcare: how Island Health is evolving to learn at the speed of change.
abstract: Healthcare organizations are challenged with constrained resources and increasing service demands by an aging population with complex care needs. Exponential growth in competency requirements also challenges staff's ability to provide quality patient care. How can a healthcare organization support its staff to learn "at or above the speed of change" while continuing to provide the quality patient care? Island Health is addressing this challenge by transforming its traditional education model into an innovative, evidence-based learning and performance support approach. Implementation of the methodology is yielding several lessons learned, both for the internal Learning and Performance Support team, and for what it takes to bring a new way of doing business into an organization. A key result is that this approach is enabling the organization to be more responsive in helping staff gain and maintain competencies.
authors.affiliation: Senior partner, and the chief learning strategist, at APPLY Synergies, a strategic consulting firm that specializes in helping learning organizations design, develop and measure effective learning and performance support strategies to meet the 5 moments of learning need.
authors.forename: Conrad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gottfredson
authors.affiliation: Learning and performance support strategist with an extensive background in instructional design, e-learning and the A.G.I.L.E. ISD methodology in collaboration with Dr. Conrad Gottfredson.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stroud
authors.affiliation: Director, Learning & Performance Support, Island Health, with a background in Professional Practice and Clinical Operations.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Associate deputy minister of Health BC Government, formerly executive vice president in People, Organizational Development, Practice & Chief Nurse, Island Health.
authors.forename: R Lynn
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Communications officer, Internal Relations, Island Health.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Archer
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D017145:Models, Educational; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration