Comparative impact of two continuing education activities targeted at COPD educators on educational outcomes: protocol for a non-randomized controlled study using mixed methods

Table 3 List of possible confounding factors

Educational outcome	Confounding variable	Units, categories, or range	Instrument
Educators’ satisfaction Educators’ learning Educators’ competence Educators’ performance	Age [12]	in years	Standardized form
	Level of education [12]	<University	Standardized form
	Level of education [12]	≥University	Standardized form
	Motivation to participate in the CE activity [12]	Score: 0–6	Adapted from the MSLQ [58]
COPD patients’ outcomes	Smoking history [59]	in packs-year	SLCDC [37]
	Dyspnea [60]	Medical Research Council dyspnea scale, grade: 1–5	SLCDC [37]
	Social support [59]	Yes	SLCDC [37]
	Social support [59]	No	SLCDC [37]
	Comorbidity [60]	Yes	SLCDC [37]
	Comorbidity [60]	No	SLCDC [37]
	Respiratory tract infections [59]	Yes	SLCDC [37]
	Respiratory tract infections [59]	No	SLCDC [37]
	Body mass index [60]	< 21	QSCH [39]
	Body mass index [60]	≥21 kg/m²	QSCH [39]
	Age [61],	in years	QSCH [39]
	Gender [62]	Women	QSCH [39]
	Gender [62]	Men	QSCH [39]
	Previous exacerbations in the six preceding months [59, 60]	Yes	Telephone interviewer-administered questionnaire [63]
	Previous exacerbations in the six preceding months [59, 60]	No	Telephone interviewer-administered questionnaire [63]
	Levels of anxiety [60, 64]	Score: 0–21	HADS [65]
	Levels of depression [60, 64]	Score: 0–21	HADS [65]

Depending on the educational outcome, these variables will be measured in educators or in COPD patients
HADS Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, MSLQ Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, QSCH Quebec Survey on Cardiovascular Health, SLCDC Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada

ISSN: 1472-6963