Health Informatics for Physiotherapists Using a New eLearning Approach

In today’s health sciences curriculum, the focus has shifted from traditional information technology teaching to more practical health informatics, focusing on information and communication. A new module was created for Physiotherapists at our university. Using an entirely e-Learning approach, students were introduced to concepts such as the clinical record, decision-making, communication theory and online professionalism over the course of one semester in Year 1. Specific tasks were provided to stimulate students and facilitate discussion of their opinions with peers. These online discussions were moderated and also contributed to students’ continuous assessment marks. Students were asked to complete an evaluation after submitting their final assignment. 11 students (response rate 35%) completed the survey. Overall the course was rated 4.5 out of 5. The most popular session was on Electronic Health Records. A majority (64%) reported that the online tasks were very effective for stimulating discussion. Although eLearning was new for all students, several were positive, e.g. “was a bit dubious at first but class was very well laid out”; “pushes you to think about the topic and give your opinion, very effective”. Students felt that the online environment helped ensure all students had an opportunity to contribute. They suggested the course could be improved by providing some reading material in advance. An eLearning approach with online discussion of tasks as part of continuous assessment was extremely successful.