Delivering Meaningful Medical Learning: Your Key to Better Care

South African healthcare professionals are stretched and stressed – they need access to medical training that supports them in delivering optimal care to their patients, delivered in an accessible, flexible and effective way. 

Research shows that healthcare providers learn best by combining theory with interactivity and hands-on learning. This should therefore be the foundation for successful teaching and development, empowering providers to feel confident about making the right decisions for their patients. 

While it has been suggested that lack of participation in continuing professional development (CPD) results in risk to patients, staff and organisations,¹ it can be argued that a lack of meaningful, effective CPD poses the same risk. Continuous learning and keeping up with emerging medical research, treatments and technologies are critical for personal and professional growth, as well as for providing high-quality patient care. 

When CPD becomes nothing more than a tick-box exercise, it undermines our healthcare ecosystem. It is therefore incumbent upon all stakeholders to work together to ensure that South Africa’s healthcare professionals have access to ongoing medical education that is not only up to date, relevant, useful and engaging, but also easily accessible. The need for readily available, high-quality education has been particularly highlighted by how COVID-19 has accelerated and enhanced digital medical learning, transforming the landscape of professional development in unprecedented ways.

How COVID-19 has Accelerated and Enhanced Digital Medical Learning

In any discussion around effective learning in a healthcare environment, it is important to acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic had a massive and irreversible impact on CPD and ongoing learning around the world.

EMGuidance has seen a 3.38% month-on-month increase in CPD certifications over the last two years. The resulting surge in medical e-learning and virtual training not only maintained continuity in education during the pandemic but also highlighted the efficiency and flexibility of online learning platforms. The pandemic made it clear that e-learning can be just as effective as traditional learning, if not more so, in certain aspects of medical education. 

What are the Advantages of Medical e-Learning?

Various advantages of e-learning have become clearer in the past four years, many of which are particularly relevant in the South African setting:

Accessibility and reach:

Online courses can reach far more participants. In under-resourced settings, where historically access to CPD was limited, this new access to knowledge, thinking and techniques can be transformative.

Flexibility and convenience:

These are crucial factors in determining the success of any medical education activity because healthcare professionals’ responsibilities and erratic schedules often mean that they struggle to find time for CPD. E-learning platforms mean no travel demands, reduced impact on family time and the flexibility to learn anywhere, any time.

Learner-centric, personalised learning:

Choosing what to learn is as important as the learning process itself. Personalised learning paths, where learners choose topics that are interesting and relevant to their daily work, encourage rapid application in a clinical setting because healthcare professionals can focus on acquiring useful knowledge and skills. They can also revisit and rework sections they found challenging or particularly valuable.

Cost efficacy:

E-learning is often more cost-effective than attending courses or in-person learning, especially when transport costs and billable hours are considered.

Up-to-date information:

Quick dissemination of information on digital platforms ensures content is up to date.

Just-in-time learning:

Healthcare professionals benefit from learning that is immediately applicable to their work. Courses that tap into current on-the-job needs result in learners quickly applying their new skills in daily practice, reinforcing knowledge retention and relevance.

Given these advantages and the fact that e-learning has become a major player in ongoing education, how do we make sure that e-learning delivers meaningful medical education that matters? What is the key to better care?

E-learning needs to cater to the audience and tap into learning methods that work. Effective e-learning is not a mere translation of lecture notes or a slide deck onto a digital platform.

A well-designed e-learning course provides theory, interactivity and clinical scenario-based learning. Topics need to appeal to the target audience, and the content needs to be carefully planned to lead to tangible changes in their clinical practice. 

Key approaches include the following:

Multimedia:

Good e-learning platforms can integrate multimedia, quizzes and simulations, making the learning process more engaging and effective.

Relevance and practicality:

The content must be directly relevant to the learners' daily tasks and challenges. The focus should be on delivering information that can be immediately applied to improve patient outcomes.

Evaluation and feedback:

Continuous assessment and instant learner feedback are crucial. Incorporating assessment and opportunities for reflection helps learners understand their progress and identify areas needing improvement.

Clinical tools:

Providing practical tools that healthcare professionals can use immediately in their practice helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. These might be checklists, guidelines, interaction checkers, active ingredient monographs, medication information, diagnostic algorithms or patient information leaflets.

Continuous improvement:

Regularly updating course content to reflect the latest evidence-based practices and technological advancements is essential for both the course's credibility and its impact on learners.

With the shift towards e-learning, the accessibility, interactivity and personalisation of educational content has improved. This has made continuous education both more effective and more appealing. Embracing these new CPD methodologies is not just beneficial for patients, but necessary for the future of healthcare and in bridging the gaps in the healthcare ecosystem.

Your Key to Enhanced Care Through Medical e-Learning

The shift towards digital medical education represents a pivotal advancement in addressing the needs of South African healthcare professionals. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of e-learning, highlighting its critical role in providing flexible, accessible and engaging training. 

This evolution ensures that healthcare providers can seamlessly integrate the latest knowledge and skills into their practice, regardless of their location or schedule. 

By making these modern educational tools available, EMGuidance Academy is dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals with the resources they need – it is the key to providing exceptional care that enhances patient outcomes.

Supporting Healthcare Practitioners in Delivering Optimal Care
Your patients expect you to always have the answers they need, at the exact moment they need them. Click here to see EMGuidance Academy’s comprehensive catalogue of online short courses, created by institutions, societies and expert-led course creators who share the same passion for care as you do. 

Giving Content Creators a Platform to Provide Value
EMGuidance Academy understands that content creators might have the answers but not the platform or the audience. Your involvement enables us to create value for healthcare professionals. Click here to work with us in bringing the latest in healthcare learning to those who need it.

EMGuidance Academy: Your Key to Care

References: 

1. Cervero RM, Gaines JK. The impact of CME on physician performance and patient health outcomes: an updated synthesis of systematic reviews. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2015;35(2):131-138. doi:10.1002/chp.21290

2. Soklaridis S, Shier R, Zaheer R, et al. “The genie is out of the bottle”: a qualitative study on the impact of COVID-19 on continuing professional development. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):631. doi:10.1186/s12909-024-05498-9

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