Welcome to the June 2009 Doctors'

e-Cohort Study e-Newsletter

The e-Cohort Suite...

Did you know that the Doctors' e-Cohort Study belongs to a suite of e-cohort studies? The Nurses & Midwives e-Cohort Study began in 2006, has over 8,000 registrants and is currently conducting its second wave of surveys.  The Graduate Nurses e-Cohort Study opened for registration in April 2009 and is busily recruiting its first cohort of newly graduated Nursing & Midwifery Alumni from The University of Queensland.

For more information on the e-cohort studies go to our website at http://e-cohort.net/.

 

Staff changes...

The Doctors e-Cohort Study team saw a number of staffing changes in February this year. Our Marketing & Recruitment Officer, Thitima Sinadyodharaks, moved on to a full-time role elsewhere within The University of Queensland.  Lindy Humphreyes-Reid (Project Manager) and Anne Russell (Research Manager), who were previously working across both the Doctors' and the Nurses & Midwives e-Cohort studies, left us to focus on the Nurses & Midwives Study. We welcomed Naomi Hansar on board as the new Project Manager for the Doctors' e-Cohort Study.

Thank you to Thitima, Lindy and Anne for all your hard work and good luck with your future endeavours!

 

Thank you...

A big thank you to the Specialist Colleges and Divisions of General Practice who have continued to assist us with the promotion of our study this year. An email sent out by the RACGP to all its members at the beginning of May prompted a wave of new registrations. Other Colleges and the Divisions of General Practice facilitated contact with their members through items in their respective journals, newsletters and website links. We are most grateful for this invaluable support.

 

Our Logo...

Have you noticed that the Doctors’ e-Cohort Study has changed its logo?  It recently came to our attention that we did not have the right to use the red cross symbol (it is in fact a breach of Section 15 of the Geneva Convention).  Therefore, we changed the colour of the cross in the logo to blue.

 

The Doctors’ e-Cohort Study and the Medical Schools Outcome Database: the similarities and differences...

The Medical Schools Outcome Database longitudinal study aims to initiate a national process to collect reliable demographic, educational and career intention data on medical students across all Medical Schools, and to store the data in a national database that will provide the basis for short and long-term monitoring and reporting on outcomes of medical education programs. 

The Doctors’ e-Cohort Study is also a longitudinal study, but will be following a defined cohort of doctors and medical students for five years to examine the factors associated with their career decisions, and their recruitment and retention in metropolitan, rural and remote regions.

For some medical students, there will be a little overlap if they are involved in both studies, but the objectives of the two studies are quite different.  The Medical Schools Outcomes Database includes only four questions about future intentions for medical practice.  The Doctors’ e-Cohort study asks a range of questions about future intentions of medical practice of both medical students and qualified doctors, plus a range of other issues including job satisfaction, work stress, general health and well-being. 

 

National medical registration and workforce data collection…

The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions is scheduled to commence in Australia in 2010. Ten health professions will come under this scheme - chiropractors; dentists (including dental hygienists, dental prosthetists and dental therapists); medical practitioners; nurses and midwives; optometrists; osteopaths; pharmacists; physiotherapists; podiatrists; and psychologists.  The system is designed to provide a more flexible, responsive and sustainable health workforce and will help health professionals move more easily between states as well as provide greater protection for the public (1). 

The National Minimum Data Set Project has been established by the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council to streamline the information requirements for registrants and provide a comprehensive data set for the purposes of workforce planning (2). 18 workforce data items (6 of which are required for registration purposes) have been proposed as a compulsory component of registration.  The workforce data would be managed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

References

1. National Health Workforce Taskforce (2008). National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. Health Workforce Australia [cited 2009 6th April]; Available from: http://www.nhwt.gov.au/natreg.asp

2. Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (2008). National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions. Consulation Paper: proposed arrangements for information sharing and privacy (3 November 2008) [cited 2009 15th May]

Available from:
http://www.nhwt.gov.au/documents/National%20Registration

%20and%20Accreditation/Consultation%20Paper%20Info

%20Sharing%20and%20Privacy%202.0.pdf

 

Doctors’ e-Cohort PhD Research...

The Doctors e-Cohort study currently has one PhD student, Suzanne Rimland, who is examining how medical school stressors and the perceived quality of the clinical learning environment relate to the mental health of medical students.   Other factors which have been correlated with mental health such as gender, marital status, alcohol consumption, exercise and sleep will also be examined.  As Suzanne will be examining changes in these variables across the years of medical school, we would like to encourage more third and fourth year students to participate in the study.  Final year students are especially needed, as Suzanne is particularly interested in their experiences of the clinical learning environment.

Suzanne has a BA (Hons) in psychology. She has worked in the public sector in health promotion project management, particularly relating to alcohol, drugs and tobacco, as well as in mental health service reform.  Suzanne began her PhD in 2007 and says "I have found [it] challenging insofar as time management is concerned, especially with a 6 year old at home, but I have received a lot of support from supervisors and other university staff. This level of support has kept me going."

If you are interested in doing a PhD linked to the Doctors’ e-Cohort study, please let us know by email.

 

Survey Completion Rates...

 

One of the big challenges in survey research is getting a representative sample involved, and then ensuring they complete their survey.  Currently, about 75% of doctors and medical students who have registered for the study have completed the survey, about 15% have started but not finished, and just under 10% have not answered any questions at all.  Interestingly, these proportions have remained relatively constant over time as the numbers of participants have grown (see chart below).

 

A big thank you to all those who have completed the survey!  If you are yet to begin or complete your survey, please do so as soon as you are able.