Academic start-up support using tele-education improved self-esteem of a rural general physician

Abstract

Abbreviations: CPD, continuing professional development;ICT, information and communication technology; MB/S, megabytes per second; SNS, social networking service IntroductionOne of the factors for rural physicians to continue their rural practices is continuing professional development (CPD). 1 In Japan, academic training has been reported to be the most common type of CPD, followed in descending order by participation in academic meetings, academic activities including doctor of philosophy programs. 2 The use of tele-education (remote-support systems using information and communication technology (ICT) in medical education) has many advantages (e.g., travel costs and time), 1 and is rapidly developing. However, tele-education has not been available in many rural regions until recently because of insufficient communication infrastructure. In addition, no reports have described academic start-up support using tele-education "based on rural physicians' values, ways of life and self-esteem". We aimed to investigate the effects related to rural physicians' self-esteem and CPD of first-time academic activities using tele-education by a general physician belonging to general medicine department of a university. Materials and methodsOur academic remote-support system using tele-education was provided from September 2016. The learner was a rural general physician (HN) with 11 years of rural practice after his graduation. He solely, as a single physician, ran the only clinic on the western-most isolated island in Japan (population: 1,700), which had insufficient communication infrastructure (maximum Internet line speed: I. Improvement in his self-esteem as a physician II. Realization of the importance of a sincere attitude to confront the community and region III. The better relationships with other medical professionals Int J Fam Commun Med. 2017;1(3):58-60 58 Citation: Namiki H, Kobayashi T. Academic start-up support using tele-education improved self-esteem of a rural general physician. Int J Fam Commun Med.Citation: Namiki H, Kobayashi T. Academic start-up support using tele-education improved self-esteem of a rural general physician. Int J Fam Commun Med.

Needs Assessment and Best Practices for Digital Trainings for Health Professionals in Ethiopia Using the RE-AIM Framework: COVID-19, Case Study

“…Additionally, as there is significant inequality in medical care in Africa, 9 e-health approaches are an innovative and equitable approach to delivering training to health care workers and improving health outcomes in marginalized and deprived populations, 18 such as rural communities. 25 In fact, e-health interventions have been proven to have added benefits for rural providers such as improve their self-esteem and promote continuing professional development and the recruitment and retention of rural physicians in rural regions. 6,9,17 The full potential of global e-health to meet both national and global health objectives is not being tapped, and it may be the necessary tool to strengthening health systems like those in Africa.…”