Health education online: Issues arising from the development and roll‐out of a pilot distance education programme for NHS staff

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate a remote learning initiative involving filming live lectures and disseminating these via digital interactive television (DiTV), satellite to PC terminals and VHS cassette. This was accompanied by online learning materials.

Design/methodology/approach

In‐depth interviews were used for the aspects of the study reported in this paper, and included meetings with all the various stakeholders in the project.

Findings

A number of barriers prevented full use of the DiTV and satellite/PC element of the service, including a major problem of access, with terminals being remote from learners' places of work; in rooms that were often occupied by doctors in meetings or locked at night (thus precluding usage by night‐working staff); and staff not having network permissions. Other problems included a lack of awareness about project responsibilities, which led to problems in student recruitment, information dissemination and general student support.

Research limitations/implications

As the DiTV and satellite‐PC elements of the service did not attract a large take‐up, it was not possible to undertake a comprehensive examination of the effectiveness of these media.

Practical implications

A number of practical implications were elicited from the project. The researchers suggest a model of service delivery to obviate these.

Originality/value

The initiative of putting together various academic course providers and NHS Trusts to provide this kind of remote learning is highly innovative and, with the NHS Institute for Learning, Skills and Innovation currently being developed, the findings from this study should inform this initiative and provide a model for future roll‐out of distance learning in the NHS.

Citation

Williams, P., Gunter, B. and Nicholas, D. (2006), "Health education online: Issues arising from the development and roll‐out of a pilot distance education programme for NHS staff", Health Education, Vol. 106 No. 3, pp. 210-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280610658550