How does tele-learning compare with other forms of education delivery? A systematic review of tele-learning educational outcomes for health professionals.

UNLABELLED: Telecommuniciation technologies, including audio and videoconferencing facilities, afford geographically dispersed health professionals the opportunity to connect and collaborate with others. Recognised for enabling tele-consultations and tele-collaborations between teams of health care professionals and their patients, these technologies are also well suited to the delivery of distance learning programs, known as tele-learning. AIM: To determine whether tele-learning delivery methods achieve equivalent learning outcomes when compared with traditional face-to-face education delivery methods. METHODS: A systematic literature review was commissioned by the NSW Ministry of Health to identify results relevant to programs applying tele-learning delivery methods in the provision of education to health professionals. RESULTS: The review found few studies that rigorously compared tele-learning with traditional formats. There was some evidence, however, to support the premise that tele-learning models achieve comparable learning outcomes and that participants are generally satisfied with and accepting of this delivery method. CONCLUSION: The review illustrated that tele-learning technologies not only enable distance learning opportunities, but achieve comparable learning outcomes to traditional face-to-face models. More rigorous evidence is required to strengthen these findings and should be the focus of future tele-learning research.

Environmentally sustainable health care: using an educational intervention to engage the public health medical workforce in Australia.

UNLABELLED: Awareness of the benefits of environmentally sustainable health care is growing. In the United Kingdom in 2010, an educational intervention on sustainable health care was successfully delivered to public health registrars. We conducted a feasibility study to test the intervention in Australia. METHODS: The intervention consisted of a 1-day workshop delivered face-to-face covering climate change, sustainability and health. The workshop was modified, piloted and then delivered to 33 health professionals. Modifications included using Australian resources, introducing active learning exercises and including guest speakers. Delivery by videoconference was trialled. Outcomes were assessed in three areas - awareness, advocacy and action - using questionnaires and follow-up telephone interviews. RESULTS: There were improvements in participants' mean awareness and advocacy scores. All participants rated sustainability as 'important' for health professionals and many looked to their professional organisation to take a lead advocacy role on this issue. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that the workshop is feasible for use in Australia; the modifications and delivery by videoconference were well received.

Health sector leadership in mitigating climate change: experience from the UK and NSW.

The threat to human health from climate change means that all levels of government and private and public agencies will need to change their current practices to reduce carbon emissions. The health sector will also need to respond and change practice. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom is developing a systematic and strategic approach to reduce its carbon footprint, as described in the recently released NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy for England. The work is being led by the Service's new Sustainable Development Unit. While the Australian health care system has not yet embraced a shared vision for carbon reduction, there are examples emerging of how the sector is contributing to reduce greenhouse gas production. Examples from two NSW area health services to reduce energy use and promote active transport are presented. In both countries, these changes are supported by new legislation and policy.

Evaluation of three population health capacity building projects delivered by videoconferencing in NSW.

UNLABELLED: Three population health projects in falls prevention, smoking cessation and refugee health secured funding through the NSW Telehealth Initiative. All were capacity building projects delivered through live videoconferencing sessions between April and August 2007. Videoconferencing as a mode of delivery was evaluated from the perspective of those who delivered the projects. METHOD: Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants explored for each project: the organisation and delivery of the education sessions; the utility of videoconferencing for delivering training programs; and the perceived potential to apply videoconferencing to other functions. RESULTS: The projects were all delivered successfully through live videoconferencing. The main benefits observed were: the ability to deliver training to large numbers of people across multiple locations within a relatively short time and for reasonable costs; and the ability to improve access to high quality professional development for rural and remote workers. Technical difficulties were minor. The support required for these kinds of e-learning projects to succeed were identified. CONCLUSION: The evaluation confirmed the value of videoconferencing as a vehicle through which equity of access to learning opportunities for population health workers across NSW can be achieved.

Using problem-based learning in public health service based training.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the suitability and benefits of problem-based learning (PBL) in competency-based postgraduate public health training. The PBL was delivered within a rural retreat and included site visits. METHODS: Qualitative semistructured interviews with trainee public health officers and key informants. RESULTS: The learning approach (retreat-PBL combination with site visits) was valuable and relevant. Trainees reported a high learning impact with increased knowledge about the problems examined and rural public health practice. They also expressed an openness to work rurally. CONCLUSION: Collaboratively developed and delivered, experiential rural public health PBL provides a positive learning experience for trainees undertaking competency-based training in public health and could play an important workforce role. PBL appears to be suitable in rural and non-rural public health training settings.

Use of communication technology among public health professionals in New South Wales, Australia.

We explored how six forms of communication technology (teleconferencing, web bulletin boards, web conferencing, videoconferencing, media streaming and satellite television) are currently being used in public health work in NSW. Twelve public health professionals working in the NSW health service were interviewed. Teleconferencing and videoconferencing were the most commonly used forms of communication technology. Factors that facilitated use included ease of access to facilities and assistance in organising and setting up the technique. Barriers to use included cost and the perception that the equipment was hard to set up and operate. Participants identified factors that assisted them to engage with these techniques.

Review of the NSW Public Health Bulletin: a qualitative survey of stakeholders.

In 2005, the NSW Department of Health commissioned an external review of the NSW Public Health Bulletin. This article describes the methods and findings of the qualitative survey. Participants included people working in population health from within the Department of Health, area health services, the tertiary sector and non-government organisations. There were fifty interviews, two focus groups and eight written surveys. The review found substantial support and respect for the Bulletin. It described the features of the Bulletin that stakeholders valued and provided suggestions to strengthen the publication. These findings will guide developments in the Bulletin's purpose, presentation, content and distribution for its readership.

Results from the 2000 fax-back survey to readers about the NSW Public Health Bulletin.

Publications must regularly reflect on their performance to ensure that they remain relevant to their readership and are fulfilling their objectives. In 2000 the 'NSW Public Health Bulletin Discussion Paper 2000'was released, with recommendations regarding all aspects of the Bulletin content, distribution and editorial management. A copy was sent to 1200 people with a fax-back survey seeking general feedback on the Bulletin and the recommendations. There was a response rate of 11 per cent. The survey identified broad support for the Bulletin and the recommendations. Findings included strong support for encouraging electronic access but maintaining the distribution of the printed copy. Subsequent changes to production of the Bulletin have included expanding the number of reviewers of articles and making improvements to the website.

A web log analysis of the online NSW Public Health Bulletin for 2001-2003.

The web logs of the online version of the NSW Public Health Bulletin were analysed to understand the patterns of use. Twenty-nine months of data, for the period January 2001 to May 2003, were extracted from archived files stored by the NSW Department of Health. HTML and PDF hits were included; other types of hits, for example image hits, were not. Five potentially useful variables were identified: Internet protocol address; date of access; time of access; document accessed; and means of access. There were 384,887 hits during the period, approximately 442 per day. The rate of hits per month increased from 8288 in 2001 to 21,288 in 2003. The PDF version was used more than the HTML version. Examination of HTML hits revealed how different parts of the Bulletin were being used. This information provides evidence to inform planning.