Transitioning to virtual academic detailing amid COVID-19: A case study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Primary Care

Background:

• COVID-19 necessitated rapid online curriculum shifts for medical educators.
• Academic detailing (AD), a key outreach for primary care providers (PCPs), transitioned to virtual formats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the strengths, challenges, and best practices of virtual academic detailing.
• To contribute to the limited evidence base on virtual AD effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed.
• Data collection included observations of virtual AD visits (n=5), interviews with detailers (n=6) and PCPs (n=5), and analysis of 10 curriculum/policy documents.

Main Results:

• Key strengths identified: inherent virtual benefits, strong leadership, telehealth trends, established relationships, and pharmacist expertise.
• Identified challenges: maintaining virtual presence in groups, ensuring modality consistency, and addressing technological issues.

Conclusions:

• Virtual detailing presents unique innovations and challenges.
• A blended model balancing virtual and in-person delivery is supported, considering logistics, efficiency, environmental impact, and participant needs.