| Autor: |
Wiljer, David, Urowitz, Sara, Apatu, Emma, Chafranskaia, Aleksandra, Durkee, Linda, Quartey, Naa Kwarley, Catton, Pamela |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Proceedings of the International Conference on e-Learning (ICEL); 2009, p493-500, 8p, 1 Diagram, 5 Charts |
| Abstrakt: |
Background The Breast Cancer Survivorship Program (BCSP) at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) in Toronto, ON, supports cancer patients with, through and beyond their cancer. This is achieved through a combination of clinical care, self-management and self-care. For patients to succeed in their self-management and self-care, a multi-modal educational approach including small group sessions, one-on-one teaching and educational pamphlets and booklets is being used to teach a number of skills. This is the approach that is used in the lymphedema clinic. A study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of providing additional education to lymphedema patients using an online social networking platform, www.CaringVoices.ca. This paper will highlight the benefits and barriers to using this approach to blended learning in a clinical environment. Methods: A pre-test / post-test design was used to determine the impact of participating in synchronous online education on participants' ability to manage their lymphedema. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate the feasibility of the addition of online education for lymphedema self-management. At the completion of clinical care, including group and one-on-one education, participants completed a series of questionnaires and were then encouraged to take part in four online educational sessions, conducted on the CaringVoices.ca platform in real-time. Educational sessions were available only to study participants, and were moderated by PMH clinicians. Questionnaires were re-administered after completion of the fourth session. Results: This study is ongoing and therefore results are still pending. From January 2008 - January 2009, all patients seen in the lymphedema clinic at PMH for an initial visit were invited to participate in the LymphLine research study. Thirty-one patients expressed interest and consented to be part of the study; 17 have completed all pre-intervention questionnaires. There have been 2 sets of 4 educational sessions with an average of 2 participants per session. Participants who attended the educational sessions have all completed the post-intervention surveys. Barriers include scheduling challenges for real-time chats and technical difficulties in downloading some of the educational resources. Discussion/Conclusion: Although online education offers an opportunity for additional meaningful education in this population of learners, barriers to participation have drawn into question the feasibility of synchronous chat. In response to these early findings, discussion forums are being established for the study participants to support asynchronous communication. Patients will have the opportunity to post questions and comments on a discussion forum that can be responded to by both clinicians and other participants at any time. Further research is required into the feasibility of using online interventions to educate patients to be active participants in their own care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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