Coping with COVID: Preparing prescribers during the pandemic

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pharmacology
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid adaptation of healthcare training.
• National Health Service (NHS) staff required updated knowledge on safer prescribing and therapeutics, especially those returning to work or redeployed.
• Health Education England (HEE) partnered with the University of Birmingham to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utilization and impact of the SCRIPT eLearning program among NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To assess the effectiveness of the SCRIPT modules in improving prescribing knowledge.
• To identify the most frequently accessed topics within the program.

Main Methods:

• The SCRIPT national eLearning program was made freely available to NHS staff.
• User registration, module access, and completion data were collected from March 2020 to March 2021.
• Pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed to measure knowledge improvement.
• Module selection data and user demographics were recorded.

Main Results:

• 3,412 users registered, accessing over 17,000 modules.
• Users completed a median of 2 assessed modules, with knowledge scores improving by a median of 2 out of 10.
• Top modules included Adherence and Concordance, Fluids, and Diabetic Emergencies.
• An unassessed COVID-19 module was accessed by 878 users.

Conclusions:

• The SCRIPT eLearning program effectively provided standardized education in core prescribing and therapeutics principles to a diverse range of healthcare professionals.
• The program demonstrated utility in enhancing the knowledge of NHS staff during a critical public health crisis.
• SCRIPT served as a valuable resource for continuous professional development in safe medication practices.