Short summary

We want to investigate whether e-learning covering two core subjects in obstetric anaesthesia (postpartum haemorrhage and preeclampsia) prior to a course in obstetric anaesthesia improves the knowledge, performance and satisfaction of the course participants compared to existing course material. 

First, we will create the e-learning program. Second, we will randomise the course participants of two courses in order to compare e-learning with no e-learning. Third, we will test all the course participants knowledge in a pre- and posttests, their performance in a structured observation scheme during simulations and their satisfaction in a questionnaire. Fourth, we will compare the results of the group with e-learning prior to the course with the results of the group without e-learning.

Rationale

E-learning has become central to postgraduate medical education due to a high degree of flexibility, broad resource-sharing capacity and cost effectiveness. E-learning has the ability to enhance the learning experience, results and self-evaluated readiness and satisfaction of the users. Furthermore, e-learning has the advantage that it can be reviewed again and again and used everywhere with an internet access which makes it ideal when seeking knowledge. Other studies have found that e-learning improves knowledge, performance and satisfaction in other areas of medical education, and it might be relevant to use e-learning as preparation for a Danish mandatory course in obstetric anaesthesia. Creating an e-learning programme is time-consuming and costly, and therefore we want to investigate whether a combination of existing course material and e-learning in postpartum haemorrhage and preeclampsia could improve knowledge, performance and satisfaction compared to existing course material without e-learning, before we create an obstetric anaesthesia e-learning programme covering the entire course curriculum. 

Description of the cohort

All participants are second year resident anaesthetists, but their experience with clinical obstetric anaesthesia before the course differs. 

Data and biological material

Demographic data

Answers to pretest, posttest, structured observation and satisfaction test

Collaborating researchers and departments

Department of Anaesthesiology, Hillerød Hospital

• Staff doctor Patricia Duch

Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation

• Consultant doctor and Postdoc Kim Ekelund, PhD
• Doctor and PhD-student Ebbe Bessmann

Publications associated with the project

Andersson ML, Duch P, Bessmann EL, Lundstrøm LH, Ekelund K. Preparing for obstetric anaesthesia - An educational randomised controlled trial comparing e-learning to written course material. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2022;1‐8. doi: