The utility of e-learning and clinical decision support resources in improving the practice of healthcare professionals in infectious diseases

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Introduction Healthcare professionals can use a variety of methods to learn about infectious diseases. Two commonly used methods include e-learning and clinical decision support. BMJ Learning is the e-learning provider of the BMJ. BMJ Best Practice is the clinical decision support tool of the BMJ. In this paper, we describe an analysis of the utility of these resources in helping healthcare professionals to learn and improve their practice in the field of infectious diseases.Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals who are users of BMJ Learning and BMJ Best Practice to find out the utility of the resources in education and in improving clinical care in the field of infectious diseases. Detailed field notes were taken during the interviews. Notes were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe learners saw the value in the e-learning and clinical decision support resources as a means of helping them put their learning into practice. The context of use was important to many learners. The quality of the resources was also important. Many of the learners were teachers and were keen to use the resources in their teaching sessions. Although the majority of the comments were positive, some learners had suggestions on what could be improved. Conclusions The learners are keen to use these resources to improve their clinical practice. To do this, they need high-quality resources that will work in their specific context or working environment and that will give them an answer quickly.