Australian Christmas Vibes
DESMOND Australia Training and Quality Development Team (from left: Kylie, Sue, Di and Sheryl)
Best wishes from DESMOND Australia for perhaps what will be a ‘different’ festive season after what has certainly been a ‘different’ 2020
DESMOND Australia was not unique in needing to adapt to the ever-changing situation during 2020. Planning commenced quickly for potential online delivery of health professional training including DESMOND NDF Study Days, DESMOND Core and NDF Module training and Australian Diabetes State and Territory Organisation refresher sessions.
Much consideration was required of the technological capacity of zoom and we needed some rapid upskilling, particularly in the use of break out rooms and poll questions!!
During 2020 the DESMOND Australia Training and QD development team was able to develop and deliver all of these DESMOND Educator training opportunities for participants located in various areas of Australia using zoom.
Twelve health professionals attended both full days of Core and NDF Module training and came from a variety of backgrounds including dietetics, exercise physiology and nursing. Participants were from Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland.
Considerations for development of an online training programme included management of four time zones and screen time! Training is designed to encourage active participation and sharing of experience and knowledge. To encourage this using ‘zoom’ there were multiple instances of small group work within ‘break out’ rooms and then sharing of discussions within the larger group.
Evaluation of the online DESMOND Educator training indicated a Net Promoter Score of 75 which is an ‘excellent’ score and signifies that a participant is highly likely to recommend the training to others.
Comments from participants included:
“Training was engaging and run effectively considering changes in environment. Activities were well adapted, and facilitators were knowledgeable and handled the sessions well.“
“I felt privileged to be able to participate and attend the training. Not only have I enhanced my understanding and built on my skills, but this training offers so much more.”
“I find it difficult to pinpoint the most significant thing I learnt because I found the whole program interesting with many areas which can be implemented in my work.”
Delivery of DESMOND Core and NDF training online was another successful ‘first’ for DESMOND Australia and similarly online DESMOND Educator NDF Study Days were also developed and delivered via zoom.
Western Australia’s COVID-19 Lockdown finished at the end of May this year and while face to face delivery was once again possible adaptations to programme delivery was required.
DESMOND Australia developed written resources for both organisation’s and individual DESMOND Educators to address COVID-19 safety requirements according to state and federal guidelines and roadmaps.
In addition to the written guidance documents, DESMOND Educators were required to attend a two-hour Self-Management Programme Delivery ‘Refresher Webinar’ prior to recommencement of face to face delivery. These two-hour webinars were designed to support the Educators and encourage discussion and reflection of the following:
• What makes DESMOND programmes different?
• The influence of our behaviour in the delivery of structured self-management programmes
• Thoughts about using certain behaviours and what can assist?
• Current self-management programmes and an opportunity to share thoughts, concerns and experiences
• DESMOND Australia update
• COVID19 considerations for programme delivery
Multiple webinars were conducted and again feedback was positive:
“Having the time to reflect on our own practices and review the philosophies of DESMOND is always welcome”
“It’s great to be reminded of the theories and philosophies behind DESMOND to keep us all on track”
“I loved the technology which worked really well, especially breaking off into small groups”
“I thought the session went really well; it was great to know other facilitators were feeling the same as me from not delivering for a while. Timely reminder of why those facilitator behaviours are there in the first instance”
“Thank you for taking the time out to set up the refresher course. It has made it less daunting going back to facilitate them”
“I particularly liked the ‘breakout rooms’ and the opportunity to focus on one issue and meeting other facilitators who I have not met before”
We have been very appreciative of our ongoing collegiate relationship with DESMOND UK and look forward to 2021…. whatever format it takes!