Greenwood James, Williams Rachael
Rural Clinical School and School of Psychiatry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Australas Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;16(4):273-6. doi: 10.1080/10398560801982994.
The Rural Special Interest Group (RSIG) of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists provided a program of educational meetings for psychiatrists and trainees in rural locations to decrease professional isolation and facilitate opportunities to obtain credit for continuing professional development (CPD) purposes in ongoing professional registration. A pilot peer review group by videoconference was also implemented in Western Australia, to provide peer review for psychiatrists working in isolation.
Six national interactive videoconferenced education seminars were provided. The membership was polled prior to the program for topic preferences and requested speakers, who were subsequently approached to present the seminars. A West Australian peer review group was formed, involving psychiatrists from five different rural locations and one psychiatrist from the metropolitan area.
National seminars were attended by 106 individuals (67% consultant psychiatrists, 17% trainees and 16% allied health professionals). Evaluation demonstrates favourable views of the content and quality of the presentations and impact on practice patterns.
Attendance at seminars via videoconferencing provided rural psychiatrists with opportunities to obtain CPD credit without the need to travel, providing a cost-effective alternative for accessing education. Involvement enabled interaction among peers throughout Australia, alleviating professional isolation and generating networking opportunities. The West Australian peer review group demonstrated sustainability with a commitment to continuation and positive impact on practice.
澳大利亚和新西兰皇家精神科医学院农村特别兴趣小组（RSIG）为农村地区的精神科医生和实习生提供了一系列教育会议，以减少职业孤立感，并为持续专业发展（CPD）目的在进行专业注册时获得学分提供便利。还在西澳大利亚实施了一个通过视频会议的试点同行评审小组，为孤立工作的精神科医生提供同行评审。
提供了六次全国性互动视频会议教育研讨会。在项目开始前对成员进行了调查，了解他们对主题的偏好并邀请演讲者，随后邀请这些演讲者来举办研讨会。成立了一个西澳大利亚同行评审小组，成员包括来自五个不同农村地区的精神科医生和一名来自大都市地区的精神科医生。
106人参加了全国研讨会（67%为精神科顾问医生，17%为实习生，16%为相关健康专业人员）。评估显示对演讲内容和质量以及对实践模式的影响给予了积极评价。
通过视频会议参加研讨会为农村精神科医生提供了无需出行即可获得CPD学分的机会，为获取教育提供了一种经济高效的替代方式。参与使澳大利亚各地的同行之间能够互动，减轻了职业孤立感并创造了建立人际关系的机会。西澳大利亚同行评审小组展现出可持续性，承诺会持续下去并对实践产生积极影响。
