Efficacy and Usability of an E-Learning Program for Fostering Qualified Disease Management Nurses

Kana Kazawa,Michiyo Oka,Madoka Kawai,Masumi Nakano,Michiko Moriyama,Satsuki Takahashi

doi:10.4236/health.2015.78113

Abstract

In order to train nurses to perform disease management and telenursing, we developed an e-learning education program, and assessed the efficacy. A single-group pre-test and post-test design was used. Nurses who worked at a medical institution or a disease management company were included, and the duration of the program was set 2 months. We developed the program so that it could grow attitude and improve knowledge and skills in disease management and patient education. Of 55 subjects, 48 who completed the program were analyzed. After the program, subjects increased knowledge and interests in disease management and patient education. Almost of the subjects answered that e-learning was a good learning method. Our program was effective at enhancing subject’s interests in disease management and patient education, and considered to improve their skills in the future.

Highlights

With the change of disease composition, the healthcare system in the world has been required to change the targets from infectious diseases to non-infectious diseases
We considered that nurses were the best players because they were good at arranging with professionals and services and specialized for patient education
We developed our program using e-learning, because we considered that e-learning could be a good way for nurses to learn at their own pace at workplace or home and that it could ensure the number of disease management nurses nationwide and guarantee their quality

Summary

Introduction

With the change of disease composition, the healthcare system in the world has been required to change the targets from infectious diseases to non-infectious diseases (chronic diseases). The situation is the same in Japan, and to solve this problem, in 2013, the government obligated all health insurers to carry out a data-health project aimed at improving health in their insured people and keeping reasonable medical expense [4] Before this motion, we put into practice a new model that provided chronic disease care based on the disease management methodology in Japan. For the registered nurses, there are many articles reporting that education using e-learning resulted in improvement of subject’s knowledge and skills [16]-[18] These reports used themes such as diseases and nursing skills, and there has been no study on the theme of acquiring comprehensive ability including disease management and patient education. No study has shown the process of developing e-learning on improving the ability of patient education, and incorporated theories

Methods

Results

Conclusion