Evaluating a pilot eLearning program as an educational tool for child health and developmental surveillance in general practice

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a pilot eLearning program (Sydney Local Health District Well Child Health program) and whether it could improve the knowledge of general practitioners and trainees in child health and developmental surveillance. METHOD: A mixed method quantitative and qualitative study was performed involving comparisons of pre and post-course test results, and analysis of feedback surveys following a face-to-face general practice training workshop along with in-depth telephone interviews. RESULTS: Comparisons of pre and post-test scores of 25 course participants demonstrated a significant mean score increase of 2.92 out of 14.00 (CI 1.56-4.28; P < 0.001). Qualitative results from 18 feedback surveys and 8 telephone interviews provided mostly positive feedback regarding the information content and usefulness in meeting educational needs. DISCUSSION: With increased uptake and completion, the Sydney Local Health District Well Child Health eLearning program has the potential to be an effective medical education tool for general practitioners and can lead to an increase in knowledge of child health and developmental surveillance.