Abstract oral session 2014 World Cancer Congress

An impactful e-learning course for palliative care in cancer for African healthcare professionals. (#335)

Gordon McVie 1 , Fiona Rawlinson 2
  1. ecancer, Bristol, United Kingdom
  2. Palliative Care, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

Background and Context:

Affordable and accessible resources to support palliative care education are at a premium. Technology is advancing rapidly; the use of online materials would appear a sound way to support global palliative care education.  An elearning course has been made freely available to African healthcare professionals since April 2014 with the first evaluation information now available including a study on the self-reported impact on patient care from the learners themselves. 

Aim:

  To develop an impactful elearning course that demonstrates long term improvement in clinical practice in African healthcare professionals.  We will report on evaluation and feedback 3 and 6 months after completion of the course to evaluate if the resources have had a long term impact on clinical practice. 

Strategy/Tactics:

 ecancer and  Cardiff University collaborated to produce ‘open access’ learning resources for Africa, where the incidence and death rate for cancer continue to rise. Effective online education involves more than uploading material to a website, Careful design, underpinned by educational theory, is needed to produce engaging, interactive and effective learning material. Responsible resource management suggests the need to develop materials which supplement, rather than duplicate, educational initiatives already in existence.

Programme/Policy Process:

Learning material was filmed across sites in Wales (UK) and in South Africa with leading experts from across the continent. To increase effectiveness for an African context, additional content and the expertise of African palliative care professionals was sought for additional filmed material and peer review process in partnership with the African Palliative Care Association.

Outcomes/What was learned:

The longitudinal feedback will provide information on sustainability and effectiveness of learning based on learner feedback and self-reported changes in clinical practice due to the educational intervention.