A design pattern language for effective professional development programs for clinicians: A decade of design-based research

Continuing professional development (CPD) for clinicians is necessary for individual health professionals to maintain their professional standards and for the community, who rely on their services for the delivery of evidence-based, cost-effective health services. In the late 1990s, three driving forces for using design-based research in CPD appeared. First, meta-analysis of research evidence indicated that most educational interventions were ineffective in improving clinician performance or changing practice. Secondly, the market requirements of the health industry (i.e. large scale, cost-effective programs, across a wide variety of topics and clinician groups) favoured reproducible designs over ad hoc solutions. Thirdly, emergent internet technologies were attractive candidate solutions, but increased risk compared to face to face CPD. Over ten years of design-based research, the authors have designed, developed, delivered and studied the results of over 200 professional development programs, mostly e-learning. Approximately 12,000 health professionals each year engage. Because the authors, as a multidisciplinary design and delivery team, have had full cycle responsibility, they have had a living laboratory in which to conduct design-based research. Three major design improvement cycles have been completed. Both the design-based research process and the resultant successful design framework will be presented. The framework covers the evidence base, design principles, design patterns and pattern language for designing and implementing professional development, in both online and face to face modes