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EXPERO MODEL TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE LEARNING OUTCOME IN

HEALTHCARE TRAININGS (EXPERO4CARE)

THE PROJECT

The Expero4care project is a Lifelong Learning Programme project, which main goal is to create

and certify the first standard to assess the quality of the learning outcome in

the healthcare sector.

Expero4care is one of the 24 projects that have been approved in 2013 and it has been funded

with 300 000 Euro. Its duration is 24 months since the launch in 2013.

The evaluation of the learning outcome in healthcare is one of the main issues of the politic,

economic and production scenarios in the EU, and therefore to be considered one of the strategic

objectives at national and international levels.

From the implementation point of view, even with quite big amount of money for the

training there isn't a suitable return of investment (ROI). This gap becomes a problem in terms

of management and in the loss of training's significance.

From the analysis of the national and regional context (in all the involved countries), there is a

strong interest in the Expero model and its certification at European level, in particular

considering its main application in the healthcare system.

THE MODEL

The strength of Expero4care lies in its model, which is the first standard model that provides a

set of tools to investigate the value of the training.

It is innovative, as it is the first standard model aimed to evaluate the learning outcome in

healthcare sector, also providing a set of tools created to investigate on each indicator.

The model focuses on improvement, since it does not see quality as bureaucratic standards to

follow, but as a continuous enhancement process. The Expero4care model and tools are free to

use, and forthcoming iPad app will guide the application of the model step by step.

The concept of quality is rooted on the stakeholders’ prospective classified in the five rows:

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Leadership

Decision maker

Internal stakeholders (teachers, tutors, staff)

Learners (the trainees of the course)

External stakeholders (workplace, professional network, system)

All categories are involved in the evaluation process by means of six specific indicators, useful

to monitor the training effectiveness:

Competencies (referred to the acquired competencies using the KSAV model:

Knowledge, skills, attitudes and values)

Transferability (to the colleagues of what learnt during the training)

Applicability (in workplace of what learnt during the training)

Participation

Credits

Data are monitored in two phases: expectations ('should' area, tested before the course

beginning) and perceptions ('is' area, tested after the course end).

In order to evaluate the learning outcome quality, the following dimensions are assessed:

Quality of Results (QR)

Training Processes (TP)

Quality of Competencies (QC)

Satisfaction of Results (SR)

Training culture (TC)

For each dimensions, Expero4care provides a validated set of tools: questionnaire, interviews,

focus group, documental analysis and a very usable database management system in which the

assessor can store all the collected data and obtain, as output, graphical and numerical

representations of the quality of the learning outcome, highlighting also strengths and weakness

points.

The Expero4care model is devoted to assess the learning outcome for people employed in the

healthcare sector. It is dedicated to training organizations in the healthcare sector.

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Expero4care is going to be recognized as international certificated standard by SGS

international.

The model is also flexible. It could be effectively integrated with other tools for assessing the

quality (ISO, EFQM), and it can be adapted to the specific needs of the organization.

The project is coordinated by Azienda per i Servizi Sanitari 1 triestina with dr. Patrizia Buzzai,

the management task force is composed by the Department of Humanities (University of

Trieste), the Expero Association, the ASS1 triestina and the European Office of Cyprus.

The partners who will apply the model are ASL2 Torino, ASS1 triestina, Zagreb School of

Medicine, VAMK Vaasa, Salud y Comunidad Barcelona, Folk Universitetet Uppsala.

Dissemination and support partners are Evolvere Sardegna, Ipasvi Trieste, University of Turin,

CTG dental care Izmir.