Designing, Installing, and Commissioning an Electronic Continuing Medical Education System at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Integrated with National CME System

Abstract

Electronic learning has changed the continuing medical education (CME) methods. For the first time, we aim to design, install, and launch an electronic CME (e-CME) system at our university, to integrate it with our National Continuing Medical Education Center of the Ministry of Health, to determine its effects on the midwives’ knowledge and problem-solving skills in postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), and their satisfaction with the electronic content and attitude toward the e-CME method. First, we designed and installed the learning management system (LMS) and integrated it with the national system. In the second phase, by the census, we applied it to 32 midwives through a quasiexperimental with a single-group pretest-posttest design. So, midwives used the electronic system in all five sessions and completed the research tools such as PPH knowledge, skills in solving problems, satisfaction with the content, and attitude toward e-CME before and after these sessions. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-16 software by the paired t-test, Wilcoxon, Friedman’s, and Pearson’s tests with a 95% confidence level. The levels of midwives’ PPH knowledge and problem-solving skills were both significantly improved ( p < 0.05 ). The total attitudes toward using e-learning CME for most participants were positive both before and after the intervention. After the intervention, there was a high satisfaction level (4.04 ± 0.16) with the electronic content among participating midwives. The positive results and successful use of e-learning by midwives lead to the achievement of the university’s mission of continuing medical education.