Dissemination of Best Practices in Preterm Care Through a Novel Mobile Phone-Based Interactive e-Learning Platform.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Nursing Professional Development

Background:

• Effective dissemination of specialized medical knowledge to a broad audience is challenging.
• Traditional training methods often struggle to reach healthcare professionals across wide geographical areas.
• The need for scalable and accessible professional development in neonatal care is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative interactive e-learning method for knowledge dissemination.
• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of this method for training a large group of participants over a wide geographical area.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of using instant messaging platforms for continuing medical education.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Telegram, a cloud-based instant messaging platform, to host the "Best Practices in Preterm Care" course.
• Enrolled 4623 in-service nurses from India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and UAE, mentored by 62 facilitators over 10 weeks.
• Implemented weekly module content delivery, facilitated discussions, live Q&A sessions, and quiz-based assessments.

Main Results:

• High participant engagement with 9939 posts (average 126/day).
• Over 95% found topics relevant and 90% felt comfortable asking questions and clarifying doubts.
• Approximately 98% rated their overall experience as very good to excellent.

Conclusions:

• Interactive e-learning via instant messaging platforms is an acceptable and feasible method for reaching a wide geographical audience.
• Optimal channelization and dedicated local champions are crucial for successful implementation.
• This approach offers a scalable solution for neonatal care professional development.