Digital resources for transfusion education

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Regular training in the blood transfusion process is crucial for transfusion safety. Hospital transfusion committees have an obligation to provide this education to hospital employees through training activities. E-learning is positioning itself as a valid alternative to physical-presence courses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe a training course on blood transfusion to members of our hospital who are involved in the transfusion process, including technicians, nurses, and doctors. The course uses Moodle as the e-learning platform; it is evaluated using a satisfaction survey along with a knowledge-transfer and impact survey a year after taking the course. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2018, seven editions of the online transfusion course were developed. Six hundred and eighty students enrolled; of these, 124 did not take the final examination (18.2%); 60 never began the course (8.8%). Of the 556 students who completed the course, 546 passed (98.2%). The average score from the initial self-assessment was 7.3 while the average score from the final self-assessment was 9.2; the mean improvement was 1.9 (out of 10). The level of general course satisfaction was 9.27 (an average out of 10). More than 90% of the students stated that they were able to apply the acquired knowledge in the workplace after a year. CONCLUSIONS: E-learning has demonstrated itself as an affordable solution that could help in the training of all staff involved in the transfusion process at our hospital, with the advantage that it includes general knowledge and particular skills in local transfusion medical practice.

Usefulness of training based on outcome of transfusion committee report: assessment by personnel involved in blood therapy

“…Training could be implemented both on a national scale and in hospitals [20]. Internal training programs could be tailored to the hospital profile while a uniform educational training program is recommended to facilitate the exchange of experience.…”

Moodle Innovation Learning Technology for Medical Education: From Theory to Practice

“…Although online LMSs or social networks were used by higher education institutions in the educational process prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the pandemic, universities were forced to adapt the educational process for exclusively online learning, most of them opting for the integration of online learning platforms such as Moodle [19]. Moodle has been successfully used in teaching anesthesiology and emergency medicine [20,21], surgery [22], thoracic surgery [23], acute medicine [24], urology [25,26], otolaryngology [27], dental radiology [28], thoracic surgery [23], blood transfusions [29], ophthalmology [30], primary health care and sexual and reproductive health services management [31], Chinese herbal medicine [32]. Via Moodle LMS courses on anatomy [33], physiology [34], medical physics [18], vaccination [35], tuberculosis [36], orthopedics [37], and even COVID-19 [38] were provided to medical students.…”

“…Moreover, there are reports how Moodle platform helps to deliver medicine-related information and trainings to healthcare professionals [31,29] and academic stuff [58] under circumstances of enforced distancing and face-to-face contacts limitation. Table 1 demonstrates the Moodle platform can be used not only for teaching medical/pharmacy students, but for further improvement of healthcare professionals' knowledge and skills.…”

“…But when online medical education is the only option perforce, if there is an alternative way for medical students and healthcare professionals to master their practical skills? Regular training in the blood transfusion process is crucial for transfusion safety therefore hospital transfusion committees have an obligation to provide this education to hospital employees through training activities [29]. Members of Almeria Poniente hospital who are involved in the transfusion process, including technicians, nurses, and doctors received a training course on blood transfusion.…”

“…The level of general course satisfaction was 9.27 (an average out of 10) with more than 90% of the students stated that they were able to apply the acquired knowledge in the workplace after a year. Elearning has demonstrated itself as an affordable solution with the advantage that it includes general knowledge and particular skills in local transfusion medical practice [29]. To provide an alternative to hands-on training during the COVID-19 lockdown, Technical University of Munich created a virtual curriculum to teach practical skills using videos combined with online exams on a virtual e-learning platform with the goal to convey different theoretical and practical aspects of urology [25].…”