The effectiveness of internet-based e-learning on clinician behavior and patient outcomes: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

Technological innovation has not only impacted social change in recent years but has been the prime driver of educational transformation.The newest consumers of post-secondary education, the so-called 'digital natives', have come to expect education to be delivered in a way that offers increased usability and convenience. Health care professionals (HCPs) in the clinical setting, particularly those in rural and remote communities, are no different. Today's health workforce has a professional responsibility to maintain competency in practice through achieving a minimum number of hours of continuing professional development. Consequently, HCPs seeking professional development opportunities are reliant on sourcing these independently according to individual learning needs. However, difficulties exist in some health professionals' access to ongoing professional development opportunities, particularly those with limited access face-to-face educationdue to geographical isolation or for those not enrolled in a formal program of study.These issues challenge traditional methods of teaching delivery; electronic learning (e-learning) is at the nexus of overcoming these challenges.The term e-learning originated in the mid-1990s as the internet began to gather momentum.Electronic learning can be broadly defined as any type of educational media that is delivered in an electronic form.Terms such as computer-assisted learning, online learning, web-based learning and e-learning are often used synonymously but all reflect knowledge transfer via an electronic device. This broad definition allows for a gamut of multimedia to be used for the purpose of constructing and assessing knowledge. Multimedia typically used in e-learning range from the now archaic Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROMs), to the simple Microsoft PowerPoint, or the more advanced and complex virtual worlds such a second life. Electronic learning can be delivered in asynchronous or synchronous formats, with the latter (for example interactive online lectures via platforms such as BlackboardCollaborate or WebEx) more commonly used in formal educational settings according to set timetables of study.Person-to-person interactivity is an important enabler of knowledge generation and while functionalities such as web 1.0 (discussion board and email) and more recently web 2.0 (Wikis and blogs) allow for this to occur both synchronously and asynchronously, it is usually utilized in formal educational contexts only. However, the economy of formal education does not allow for free access to courses which proves challenging for HCPs seeking quality educational opportunities who choose not to undergo a formal program of study or are just looking to meet a specific learning need. Alternatively, asynchronous e-learning is a more learner-centred approach that affords the opportunity to engage in learning at a time and location that is convenient and enables the learner to balance professional development with personal and work commitments.These learning opportunities are self-di...

The use of e-learning program in nursing education

“…All studies in this review reported different interventions including differences in: the size of elearning programmes, the number of modules undertaken and the time taken to complete them (Sinclair et al, 2015). In the four study, study group used an e-learning program and control group used traditional classroom lectures (Abdelaziz et al, 2011;Keefe & Wharrad, 2012;Lee & Lin, 2013;Pourghaznein et al, 2015).…”

Management Of On Line Learning Platforms In Medical Education

“…Sinclair et al (2015) reported that standard procedures are not all the time effective, as each patient has its own particularities, so there is an urge need to adapt medical procedures by patient focused interventions. In this context a flexible training offer by developing an online learning community to provide the resources and digital materials in medical education and to support the development of e learning courses in EU level is a challenge and a real necessity.…”

Evaluation of an E-Learning Training Program to Support Implementation of a Group-Based, Theory-Driven, Self-Management Intervention For Osteoarthritis and Low-Back Pain: Pre-Post Study (Preprint)

“…Specifically, E-SOLAS was developed and underpinned by theory, with a clear rationale as how the intervention components were developed and/or adapted. The use of a formal evaluation model [12] allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of E-SOLAS training, including the objective evaluation of PTs behavior during training, which is frequently absent from assessments [22,45,46]. Furthermore, the application of the WHO implementation outcomes using mixed methods enabled comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of implementation of this e-learning training program and required adaptations to increase acceptability [23].…”

“…Current evidence, which predominantly involves undergraduate HCP students [18,19], suggests e-learning shows similar effectiveness to traditional methods for knowledge acquisition [20] and user satisfaction [21], but further research regarding the effectiveness of e-learning on HCP behavioral change and the translation of learning to clinical practice has been advocated [22]. Hence, we evaluated E-SOLAS in the same manner utilised in our face-to-face training.…”