E-learning or lectures to increase knowledge about congenital heart disease in infants: A comparative interventional study.
Elin Hjorth-Johansen, Dag Hofoss, Nina Margrethe Kynø
PMID 31367440WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses and students improved their congenital heart disease knowledge scores similarly after either e-learning or classroom lectures.
E-learning took half the time but participants preferred the lectures. Neither method proved superior for short-term knowledge gain.
Key findings
01Both groups significantly increased their knowledge scores from pre-test to post-test, with no significant difference in improvement between them.
02Participants in the e-learning group completed the course in significantly less time (2.1 hours) than those in the classroom group (4.5 hours).
03Participants rated the traditional classroom learning method as more positive than the e-learning method.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was very small (28 participants), which limits the statistical power to detect differences between the learning methods. The study only measured short-term knowledge retention (one week) and did not assess long-term learning or the transfer of knowledge to actual clinical practice or patient outcomes. The knowledge test was developed for the study and was not validated. There was a significant difference in baseline experience between the groups, with the e-learning group having more experience, which may have influenced results despite statistical controls.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that e-learning is equally effective for all nursing education based on this study. The sample was too small to detect a true difference in learning outcomes, and the study did not measure whether this knowledge translated into better clinical care or patient outcomes.