The effect of a web-based training for improving primary health care providers' knowledge about diabetes mellitus management in rural China: A pre-post intervention study.

BACKGROUND: The performance of primary health care providers regarding DM management is poor in rural China, and effective training methods for providers are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of web-based training for improving knowledge about DM management among primary health care providers in rural China and to further compare the effects of the training effect between primary health care providers with different backgrounds. METHODS: A pre-post intervention study was conducted from April to August 2014. In this study, a total of 901 primary health care workers were recruited from six counties in Hubei province. To evaluate the effect of the web-based training, the knowledge achievement of participants was measured with multiple choice questions (MCQ) at baseline, at the end of two weeks of training and at three months after training. A mixed linear model (MLM) was used to measure group differences in the mean scores at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: After the web-based training, the knowledge scores of the village doctors increased from 73.58 at baseline to 89.98 at posttest and to 84.57 three months after the training. For township health workers, we observed an upward trend in scores from 78.87 at the pre-test to 91.72 at the second test, and at the three months after the training, the scores increased to 94.91. For village doctors, greater knowledge achievement was observed between the scores at baseline and after two weeks of training(adjusted difference: 3.55, P = 0.03) compared to that observed for the township health workers, while decreased their knowledge achievement between baseline and the third-test compared with that of township health workers (adjusted difference: 5.05, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that web-based training was an effective method for improving the knowledge of primary health care providers about management of DM in remote areas. Compared with the effect of the training on village doctors, the training had a poor short-term effect on township health workers but a better long-term effect.

Internet-based health education in China: a content analysis of websites.

BACKGROUND: The Internet is increasingly being applied in health education worldwide; however there is little knowledge of its use in Chinese higher education institutions. The present study provides the first review and highlights the deficiencies and required future advances in Chinese Internet-based health education. METHODS: Two authors independently conducted a duplicate Internet search in order to identify information regarding Internet-based health education in China. RESULTS: The findings showed that Internet-based education began in China in September 1998. Currently, only 16 of 150 (10.7%) health education institutions in China offer fee-based online undergraduate degree courses, awarding associates and/or bachelors degrees. Fifteen of the 16 institutions were located in the middle or on the eastern coast of China, where were more developed than other regions. Nursing was the most popular discipline in Internet-based health education, while some other disciplines, such as preventive medicine, were only offered at one university. Besides degree education, Chinese institutions also offered non-degree online training and free resources. The content was mainly presented in the form of PowerPoint slides or videos for self-learning. Very little online interactive mentoring was offered with any of the courses. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable potential for the further development of Internet-based health education in China. These developments should include a focus on strengthening cooperation among higher education institutions in order to develop balanced online health curricula, and on enhancing distance education in low- and middle-income regions to meet extensive learning demands.