Training WIC Providers to Use Telehealth in Ohio: An Opportunity to Expand WIC Services

Full Description: The goal of the project was to provide tools in telehealth etiquette and information about technology to make Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) providers more comfortable in using video telehealth to engage with clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. From May until August of 2021, The Clinical Skills Education and Assessment Center (CSEAC) of the Ohio State University conducted six virtual training sessions for WIC providers in Ohio about the use of telehealth to conduct client assessments. Approximately 50% of WIC providers throughout Ohio attended a session, including dietitians/nutritionists (n = 49), nurses (n =11), lactation consultants/breastfeeding support personnel (n = 5), and others. Overall, there were 88 attendees from 32 of Ohio's 88 counties. About 20% of the attendees were project directors. Learners estimated that more than 75% of their participant population was comprised of Medicaid recipients. Only 2.3% of learners currently used video telehealth, with 53.4% using the telephone for client encounters, indicating a need for telehealth training.
The training covered topics such as telehealth etiquette, available technologies, and troubleshooting. It used methods such as didactics and demonstration videos highlighting best practices and common pitfalls. Training sessions were 2-hours in length and capped at a maximum of 20 participants to allow for interaction and high engagement.
Pre and post session tests were administered to learners to assess the effectiveness of the training. Relative to knowledge related to the training content, the mean score significantly increased from 2.46 to 3.17 (t[62] = -5.23, p<0.001) on a 5-item scale. Similarly, learners were asked both about their perceived skills and self-efficacy in utilizing telehealth. The overall mean skill score significantly increased from pre- to-post training from a mean (SD) of 3.03 (0.76) to 3.64 (0.63), t(61) = -6.93, p <0.001. The overall mean self-efficacy scores significantly increased from pre- to-post training from a mean (SD) of 3.59 (0.44) to 4.09 (0.40), t(62) = -10.20, p <.001.
Learners were asked to rate level of agreement with statements about their satisfaction with/utility of the training. On average, learners (n = 70) rated the training a 4.35 (SD = 0.61) out of a maximum of 5, indicating that it was well-received. In terms of next steps, many learners indicated that they intended to use the training information in their job (average score was 4.83 with SD = 1.02) out of a maximum of 7. Qualitative responses confirmed the intent for future telehealth work. For example, one participant stated: “I am very glad that I had the training because it is the first step for preparing for what may become usual business for the WIC program”. As a barrier, many participants voiced the need for workplace investment in technology infrastructure before proceeding to implementation. This training data will help inform such investments in Ohio WIC.

Abbreviated Description: The goal of the project was to provide tools in telehealth etiquette and information about technology to make WIC providers more comfortable using video telehealth to engage with clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 50% of WIC providers throughout Ohio attended a session. The training covered topics such as telehealth etiquette, available technologies, and troubleshooting. It used methods such as didactics and demonstration videos highlighting best practices and common pitfalls. Pre and post session tests were administered to learners to assess the effectiveness of the training. Learners showed improvement in knowledge, skills, & self-efficacy in using telehealth. Barriers were also identified. This training data will help inform telehealth investments in Ohio WIC.