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EELAB: an innovative educational resource in occupational medicine.
A Y Zhou1, J Dodman2, L Hussey3
1Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Division of Population Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|May 19, 2017
Summary
This study developed an online tool, EELAB, to enhance occupational medicine (OM) skills for physicians using real patient cases. The resource facilitates learning, self-audit, and benchmarking, receiving positive feedback and accreditation.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Medicine
- Medical Education Technology
- Clinical Informatics
Background:
- Postgraduate training in occupational medicine (OM) needs accessible, evidence-based tools aligned with clinical practice.
- Current resources often lack integration with real-world case data.
- Need for improved clinical governance in OM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate an online resource for physicians to enhance OM skills.
- Utilize real cases of work-related ill-health (WRIH) for practical learning.
- Integrate learning, self-assessment, audit, and benchmarking functionalities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized WRIH data from the THOR network to identify common OM issues.
- Developed the Electronic, Experiential, Learning, Audit and Benchmarking (EELAB) web portal.
- Offered disease-specific online learning, self-assessment, and peer benchmarking.
- Evaluated the resource with general practitioners (GPs) and occupational physicians in the UK.
Main Results:
- Physicians reported favorable use of EELAB for case-based learning and assignments.
- User feedback guided further development, including expanding clinical condition coverage.
- The EELAB resource achieved external accreditation from major medical bodies.
Conclusions:
- The EELAB resource successfully met educational, self-audit, and benchmarking objectives.
- The tool effectively integrates clinical practice with an extensive research database.
- This innovative approach enhances OM training and clinical governance.