Addressing the issue of e‐learning and online genetics for health professionals

Abstract

Health-care professionals need an appropriate genetics knowledge base to care for patients and their families. However, studies have indicated that nurses and midwives lack the requisite genetics knowledge to practice effectively and safely, with a paucity of resources to address their educational needs. This paper describes an action research study aimed at developing an online genetics resource for students and practitioners in a range of health professions. A literature review of current health-care genetics education was undertaken. In the first phase of the action cycle, a sample of nurses and midwives were surveyed using a questionnaire to discover their perceived learning needs and the acceptability of an e-learning approach. Using the findings, an online resource for health professionals was developed, by means of a life stage structure to expedite accessibility. The developmental process leading to the construction of clinical case studies in this resource (including theory, ethical, and practical issues) and the evaluation strategy are discussed.

UK health-care professionals' experience of on-line learning techniques: A systematic review of qualitative data

“…Although many of the studies had at least 1 important methodological limitation, principally a lack of adequate details of the sample population or clear or explicit forms of data collection and analysis, half of the studies were found to be of at least good or very good reported methodological quality, providing details on at least the sample population and its recruitment, and0or the data collection and its analysis. [22][23][24][25][27][28][29]31,32 The resulting synthesis can therefore be described as sufficiently robust to sustain the subsequent interpretation and analysis.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Three additional studies were identified from the references of the included papers 28-30 and 3 were located by citation searching of the included studies. [31][32][33] For full results, see the QUO-ROM flow chart~FIGURE 1!.…”

“…23 Instead, resources needed to engage learners visually, ie, to be attractive, or exploit the interactivity offered by electronic and on-line delivery. 21,23,27 In the same way, Webbased learning environments that are confusing and difficult to navigate, 21 or lacking in necessary help or search facilities, 25,26,32 were found to be detrimental to the student experience, regardless of the professional group to which the student belonged or the quality of the study in which they were described. However, when usability of the virtual learning environment was good, learners' experience was enhanced.…”

Nursing Students’ Self-Reported Knowledge of Genetics and Genetic Education

“…Gresty et al [21] reported that e-learning is an acceptable and practical way to address the needs for genetic education in both the student and practitioner population.…”

Exploring e-learning among nurse educators in undergraduate nursing

“…Nurse educators have recognized the need to integrate e-learning technology into nursing education [1] . E-learning is endorsed as a tool for developing the 21 st century skills among nurses required to function effectively in the knowledge economy [2,3] . Nurse educators are increasingly using computer-assisted learning to enhance educational delivery [4,5] and integrate blended learning into teaching-learning processes [6] .…”