| Healthcare reform initiated in March 2010 substantiated the need for innovative methods in health care administration. New delivery models of healthcare emphasized the demand of women for improved modalities of treatment that were less invasive and less expensive. Critical to implementing evidence-based practice among the country's base of gynecologists was education in advanced minimally invasive surgery (MIS), to improve the care of women, and reduce healthcare costs. MIS, a sub-section of most surgical specialties, provides surgical patients a smooth and fast recovery with less pain and morbidity at a cost inclusively lower than traditional surgery. Deprived of this evidence-based treatment because MIS techniques were not available during training of most gynecologists, patients experienced higher surgical morbidity, leading to prohibitive health care dollar expenditures. The participants were a random group of practicing gynecologists attending a National MIS Conference, ten performed, and taught MIS, and ten who desired to improve MIS skills. The researcher used an open-ended qualitative research instrument to gather opinions about learning needs and barriers to learning MIS. The participants' opinions were coded and analyzed using PASW software. Data tables were produced for comparative analysis and evaluation by the researcher. The identification of the barriers, and reasons they have persisted, helped the researcher pinpoint possible methods to overcome the obstacles. The study results presented three main themes, the first, that 100 percent believed MIS was the best method for most patients. Theme two focused on mentorship, as 100 percent of the group felt it the missing ingredient for those not sufficiently inspired by the evidence in research. The third theme suggested government regulations were obstructionist toward the process of mentorship, impeding willing proctors from traveling to hospitals where experts were unavailable. The conclusions were in alignment with a successful educational result if mentorship existed in more areas. The research results appeared applicable to teaching program improvement in most areas of the country, to advance health care of women while reducing healthcare costs. This research established a theoretical basis for comparison to fellowship programs, where effectiveness of interventions leads to better implementation and adoption of recommended health care services nationwide. |
