Evaluation of three population health capacity building projects delivered by videoconferencing in NSW

Three population health projects in falls prevention, smoking cessation and refugee health secured funding through the NSW Telehealth Initiative. All were capacity building projects delivered through live videoconferencing sessions between April and August 2007. Videoconferencing as a mode of delivery was evaluated from the perspective of those who delivered the projects.

Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants explored for each project: the organisation and delivery of the education sessions; the utility of videoconferencing for delivering training programs; and the perceived potential to apply videoconferencing to other functions.

The projects were all delivered successfully through live videoconferencing. The main benefits observed were: the ability to deliver training to large numbers of people across multiple locations within a relatively short time and for reasonable costs; and the ability to improve access to high quality professional development for rural and remote workers. Technical difficulties were minor. The support required for these kinds of e-learning projects to succeed were identified.

The evaluation confirmed the value of videoconferencing as a vehicle through which equity of access to learning opportunities for population health workers across NSW can be achieved.