The effectiveness of palliative care education delivered by videoconferencing compared with face-to-face delivery

As part of a four-year study into the use of videoconferencing in palliative care, the delivery of workshops on palliative care to community nurses was evaluated by the Open University. Twenty nurses were randomly allocated to alternating videoconferencing and face-to-face modes of presentation. The quantitative study measured the amount of learning that occurred in each workshop with pre-tests and post-tests, and the mode of presentation. Forty-nine workshop attendances were analysed. The qualitative study used observation and analysis of videorecordings to assess the activity and attention spans in interactive communication during workshops, while a combination of interviews and questionnaires was used to assess the participants' level of satisfaction with presentation. The results showed that the nurses' level of satisfaction with the instructional presentation was high in both modes of presentation. Despite difficulties at the start of the project in the videoconferencing presentation, there was little difference between the modes of presentation in achievement scores or the gain in achievement scores. Although the learners preferred face-to-face workshops, they learnt as much from a videoconferenced workshop. Videoconferencing was less suitable for psychological or emotional discussions, but this may have been due to the time constraints on the workshops. Some features of videoconferencing suggest it could be used effectively in helping learners discuss sensitive issues. The Current Learning in Palliative Care (CLiP) worksheets were found to be an effective means of delivering learning.