Online Continuing Education Course Enhances Nutrition and Health Professionals’ Knowledge of Food Safety Issues of High-Risk Populations

Health Professionals’ Knowledge and Understanding about Listeria monocytogenes Indicates a Need for Improved Professional Training

“…Health professionals, such as registered nurses (RNs) and registered dietitians (RDs), may be afforded more time with patients and, thus, be better positioned to provide information about infectious diseases and disease preven tion (22,36). Considering that food safety training is required as a distinct qualifying educational competency by the Commission of Dietetic Registration for all RDs (14), it seems logical that patients would be referred to RDs for counseling.…”

Food Safety Training and Teaching in the United Kingdom and Europe

“…However, there is evidence from the United States that a combination of lecture and web-based delivery is more effective than either alone (Pintauro et al, 2005). A later study (Wallner et al, 2007) concluded that online food safety teaching is an effective method for the continuing education of health professionals. The recent development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), has increased the availability of online training and there a many examples of such courses that are aimed at food industry professionals.…”

Nurses and Dietitians Differ in Food Safety Information Provided to Highly Susceptible Clients

“…Participants who completed the survey voluntarily provided e-mail contact information to receive complimentary pass code access to a Web site where they could earn up to 6 continuing education credits by completing comprehensive Web-based food safety modules approved for continuing education units by the American Dietetic Association and Ohio Nurses Association (which has reciprocity to other state nursing associations). 18 The survey tool was programmed to remain available to potential respondents until a maximum of 400 surveys had been completed, at which time the survey closed down. Initial review of the completed surveys indicated that the ratio of nurses to dietitians was poor, and the survey was reopened.…”

“…The Web-based survey was developed with original PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor programming 19 by the Office of Technology and Enhanced Learning in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University using questions and potential response variables previously tested for content validity through interviews and focus groups conducted with health care professionals. 17,18,20 Subjects consented electronically to an online waiver of signed consent to participate in the Web-based survey. The survey began with a filtering question asking whether the subject worked with any or all of the named highly susceptible groups: pregnant women, the elderly, and/or the immune compromised.…”