SCI-U: E-learning for patient education in spinal cord injury rehabilitation

Abstract

Background/objectives: To develop an online patient education resource for use in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Participants: The development process involved more than 100 subject-matter experts (SMEs) (rehabilitation professionals and consumers) from across Canada. Preliminary evaluation was conducted with 25 end-users. Methods: An iterative development process was coordinated by a project team; SMEs (including patients) developed the content in working groups using wiki-based tools. Multiple rounds of feedback based on early prototypes helped improve the courses during development. Results: Five courses were created, each featuring more than 45 minutes of video content and hundreds of media assets. Preliminary evaluation results indicate that users were satisfied by the courses and perceived them to be effective. Conclusions: This is an effective process for developing multimedia patient education resources; the involvement of patients in all parts of the process was particularly helpful. Future work will focus on implementation, integration into clinical practice and other delivery formats (smart phones, tablets).

Spinal Cord Essentials: the development of an individualized, handout-based patient and family education initiative for people with spinal cord injury

“…2,32 Increasingly, SCI health information resources published by reputable sources are becoming available online. [18][19][20][21][22][23]33,34 Spinal Cord Essentials is available online as PDF files at www.spinalcordessentials.ca in English, French, Chinese and Farsi. An additional resource that has been integrated into the SCI rehabilitation program at UHN-TRI is www.SCI-U.ca, which consists of a series of 10 e-learning courses.…”

“…An additional resource that has been integrated into the SCI rehabilitation program at UHN-TRI is www.SCI-U.ca, which consists of a series of 10 e-learning courses. 33 The use of audio and visual media, expert opinions, peer interviews and endorsement by multiple SCI rehabilitation centers across Canada renders it a highly valued complementary educational resource for people with SCI.…”

Online support for individuals with spinal cord injuries: An ethnographic investigation

“…Understanding this finding might help us to develop interventions that use the Internet to increase health knowledge and facilitate improved communication between patients and health care providers. 22 Participants reported that they received support from peers on forums such as Internet chat rooms, which suggests that utilizing Internet-based peer support for individuals with SCI in rehabilitation units and clinics may augment our ability to increase the social support individuals with SCI receive in a cost-effective and simple way. Future research might focus on facilitating the use of Internet resources for peer support for individuals with SCI and developing and testing interventions that leverage online sources of peer support (e.g.…”

Distraction of clinicians by smartphones in hospitals: a concept analysis

“…), and patient education (Shepherd et al . ). Applications exist for many clinical specialties (Dala‐Ali et al .…”

“…Smartphones and other mobile devices have become central to our lives and provide users instant access to a wealth of electronic media such as the Internet, email, and instant messaging. This technology benefits healthcare providers, giving access to medical references, research tools and patient information (Baumgart 2011), medical consultation (Divall et al 2013), documentation (Huff 2011, Yeung et al 2012, and patient education (Shepherd et al 2012). Applications exist for many clinical specialties (Dala-Ali et al 2011, Franko 2011, Jensen Ang et al 2014, Sohn et al 2013, Zuo et al 2013.…”