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

BACKGROUND:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health protocols required medical educators to rapidly move curricula online. This included academic detailing (AD), a form of one-to-one or small group educational outreach for primary care providers (PCPs). OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to contribute to the sparse evidence base exploring virtual AD by exploring strengths, challenges, and best practices. METHODS:This case study drew on 3 methods: (1) observations of AD visits (n = 5 sessions), (2) group (n = 6 detailers) and one-on-one interviews (n = 5 PCPs, n = 3 detailing staff), and (3) document analysis of curriculum and policy documents (n = 10 documents). RESULTS:Our analysis identified several strengths of virtual detailing: (1) inherent benefits of virtual programming, (2) pre-existing strengths in program leadership, (3) global move toward telehealth amid COVID, (4) pre-existing detailing relationships, and (5) pre-existing roles and attributes of pharmacists. Several challenges were also identified: (1) virtual presence in group visits, (2) establishing consistency across modalities, and (3) technological issues. CONCLUSION:Virtual detailing has posed unique challenges and opportunities for innovation. Our study supports a blended model moving forward-one that balances strengths and challenges of virtual and in-person delivery and considers logistics, efficiencies, environmental impacts, and unique participant needs.