Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluating Effectiveness of Online Learning Modules in Pediatric Environmental Health Education

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

Content and training about pediatric environmental health are lacking in healthcare professionals’ education. In an initiative to improve pediatric environmental health education, the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) program offers free, interactive, web-based (“eLearning”) modules on environmental health topics. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of PEHSU eLearning modules in increasing knowledge about pediatric and reproductive environmental health.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of 994 users who had completed at least one of the 12 PEHSU eLearning modules and its associated pre-test and post-test scores between March 2016 and November 2018. Users who completed modules between March 2016 and April 2018 received a 6-month follow-up survey to assess the impact of the knowledge gained on their clinical practice.

Results

A wide range of clinical professionals and nonclinical professionals utilized and completed the PEHSU eLearning modules. For all users, post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores, with an increase of 30.55% ± 22.37 (paired t-test, p < 0.0001), after completion of eLearning modules.

Conclusion

PEHSU eLearning modules are effective at increasing environmental health knowledge of clinical and nonclinical professionals. Further studies are needed to determine long-term knowledge retention and clinical impact.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gehle KS, Crawford JL, Hatcher MT. Integrating environmental health into medical education. Am J Prev Med [Internet]. 2011. 1 [cited 2018 Nov 2];41(4):S296–301. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379711003746.

  2. Pelletier SG. Experts see growing importance of adding environmental health content to medical school curricula [internet]. AAMC News. 2016. [cited 2018 Nov 2] Available from: https://news.aamc.org/medical-education/article/experts-importance-environmental-health-content/.

  3. Trasande L, Newman N, Long L, Howe G, Kerwin BJ, Martin RJ, et al. Translating knowledge about environmental health to practitioners: are we doing enough? Mt Sinai J Med A J Transl Pers Med [Internet]. 2010. 1 [cited 2019 Sep 22];77(1):114–23. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/msj.20158.

  4. Trasande L, Ziebold C, Schiff JS, Wallinga D, McGovern P, Oberg CN. The role of the environment in pediatric practice in Minnesota: attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Minn Med [Internet]. 2008 [cited 2018 Nov 2];91(9):36–9. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18990916.

  5. Trasande L, Boscarino J, Graber N, Falk R, Schechter C, Galvez M, et al. The environment in pediatric practice: a study of New York pediatricians’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices towards children’s environmental Health. J Urban Heal [Internet]. 2006. 14 [cited 2018 Nov 2];83(4):760–72. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9071-4

  6. Woolf AD, Sibrizzi C, Kirkland K. Pediatric environmental health specialty units: an analysis of operations. Acad Pediatr [Internet].2016. 1 [cited 2018 Nov 2];16(1):25–33. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.online.uchc.edu/science/article/pii/S1876285915001746.

  7. Bryan RL, Kreuter MW, Brownson RC. Integrating adult learning principles into training for public health practice. Health Promot Pract [Internet]. 2009. 2 [cited 2019 Feb 21];10(4):557–63. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839907308117.

  8. Hadley J, Kulier R, Zamora J, Coppus SFPJ, Weinbrenner S, Meyerrose B, et al. Effectiveness of an e-learning course in evidence-based medicine for foundation (internship) training. J R Soc Med [Internet]. 2010. [cited 2018 Nov 3];103(7):288–94. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20522698.

  9. Hugenholtz NIR, de Croon EM, Smits PB, van Dijk FJH, Nieuwenhuijsen K. Effectiveness of e-learning in continuing medical education for occupational physicians. Occup Med (Lond) [Internet]. 2008. [cited 2018 Nov 3];58(5):370–2. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18495676

  10. Jayakumar N, Brunckhorst O, Dasgupta P, Khan MS, Ahmed K. e-learning in surgical education: a systematic review. J Surg Educ [Internet]. 2015. [cited 2018 Nov 5];72(6):1145–57. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26111822

  11. Cullinan S, O’Mahony D, Byrne S. Use of an e-learning educational module to better equip doctors to prescribe for older patients: a randomised controlled trial. Drugs Aging [Internet]. 2017. [cited 2018 Nov 5];34(5):367–74. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28258537

  12. O’Leary FM. Paediatric resuscitation training: is e-learning the answer? A before and after pilot study. J Paediatr Child Health [Internet]. 2012. [cited 2018 Nov 5];48(6):529–33. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22107149

  13. Shah NH, Bhansali P, Barber A, Toner K, Kahn M, MacLean M, et al.. Children with medical complexity: a web-based multimedia curriculum assessing pediatric residents across North America. Acad Pediatr [Internet]. 2018. [cited 2018 Nov 5];18(1):79–85. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28843486.

  14. Taveira-Gomes T, Ferreira P, Taveira-Gomes I, Severo M, Ferreira MA. What are we looking for in computer-based learning interventions in medical education? a systematic review. J Med Internet Res [Internet]. 2016. [cited 2018 Dec 5];18(8):e204. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27480053.

  15. Cook DA, Levinson AJ, Garside S, Dupras DM, Erwin PJ, Montori VM. Internet-based learning in the health professions. JAMA [Internet]. 2008. [cited 2018 Dec 5];300(10):1181. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18780847.

  16. Vaona A, Banzi R, Kwag KH, Rigon G, Cereda D, Pecoraro V, et al. E-learning for health professionals. Cochrane Database Syst Rev [Internet]. 2018. 22 [cited 2019 Jan 21];(1). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011736.pub2

  17. Lewis KO, Cidon MJ, Seto TL, Chen H, Mahan JD. Leveraging e-learning in medical education. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care [Internet]. 2014. [cited 2018 Nov 3];44(6):150–63. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24981664

  18. Olson MD, Stedman-Smith MM, Fredrickson MA. Environmental health and nursing: piloting a technology-enhanced distance learning module: https://doi.org/101177/216507990505300807 [Internet]. 2017. 23 [cited 2019 Feb 7]; Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/216507990505300807

  19. Miller MD, Valenti M, Schettler T, Tencza B. A multimedia e-book— a story of health: filling a gap in environmental health literacy for health professionals. Environ Health Perspect [Internet]. 2016 Aug [cited 2019 Mar 5];124(8). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP222

  20. Van Dongen CJ. Environmental health and nursing practice: a survey of registered nurses. Appl Nurs Res [Internet]. 2002 1 [cited 2019 Sep 25];15(2):67–73. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0897189702800234

  21. Leffers J,McDermott-Levy R,Smith CM, Sattler B. Nursing education’s response to the 1995 institute of medicine report: nursing, health, and the environment. Nurs Forum [Internet]. 2014 1 [cited 2019 Sep 25];49(4):214–24. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12072

  22. Anderko L. Environmental health for childbearing women and their families. J Obstet Gynecol neonatal Nurs JOGNN [Internet]. 2010. [cited 2019 Sep 25];39(1):82–3. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20409106

Download references

Acknowledgments

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the PEHSU by providing partial funding to ATSDR under Inter-Agency Agreement number DW-75-95877701. Neither EPA nor ATSDR endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in PEHSU publications.

Sources of Funding

None

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06032, USA

    Katelyn H. Wong

  2. American College of Medical Toxicology, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Amanda Allen

  3. School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 1600 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA

    Timur S. Durrani

  4. Division of OEM, ZSFG, Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Box 0843, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0843, USA

    Timur S. Durrani

  5. California Poison Control System – San Francisco Division, Box 1369, San Francisco, CA, 94143-1369, USA

    Timur S. Durrani

Authors
  1. Katelyn H. Wong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amanda Allen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Timur S. Durrani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Timur S. Durrani.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of Interest

None

Additional information

Supervising Editor: Mark B. Mycyk, MD

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wong, K.H., Allen, A. & Durrani, T.S. Evaluating Effectiveness of Online Learning Modules in Pediatric Environmental Health Education. J. Med. Toxicol. 16, 269–275 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-019-00746-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-019-00746-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation