Clinical question
Compared with traditional learning, how effective is e-learning in licensed health professionals for improving patient outcomes or health professionals’ behaviour, skills and knowledge?
Bottom line
When compared with traditional learning, e-learning made little or no difference for improving patient outcomes or health professionals' behaviours and knowledge, and it was uncertain whether it improved or reduced health professionals' skills. Even if e-learning could be more successful than traditional learning in particular medical education settings, general claims of it as inherently more effective than traditional learning may be misleading.
Caveat
Owing to the paucity of studies and data, it was not possible to explore differences in effects across different subgroups. Because of poor reporting, it was not possible to collect sufficient information to complete a meaningful “risk of bias” assessment for most of the quality criteria. Missing data represented a potential source of bias in several studies.
Context
The use of e-learning, defined as any educational intervention mediated electronically via the internet, has steadily increased among health professionals worldwide. Several studies have attempted to measure the effects of e-learning in medical practice, which has often been associated with large positive effects when compared with no intervention and with small positive effects when compared with traditional learning (without access to e-learning). However, results are not conclusive.
Cochrane Systematic Review
Vaona A et al. E-learning for health professionals. Cochrane Reviews, 2018, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD011736.DOI: 10.1002/14651858. CD011736.pub2. This review contains 16 studies involving 5679 participants.
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