12.07.16
Why NHS e-learning needs more ambition
Source: NHE Jul/Aug 16
Louise Pasterfield, managing director at e-learning company Sponge UK, reflects on the chequered history of e-learning in the NHS and why it needs to rethink its approach.
The NHS has a chequered history with e-learning. On the one hand, it is a world-class innovator, using techniques like 3D and virtual reality to transform medical training. On the other, some of its e-learning feels very outdated, with long, old-fashioned, ‘click and reveal’ courses.
You have to feel for the NHS workers whose only experience of e-learning is the latter. One NHS employee recently reported that health service e-learning “bored their socks off”. E-learning is failing if it generates this kind of response, no matter how much money it saves.
E-learning must engage people
Of course, driving efficiency is important, and e-learning has an excellent record on this front. One NHS trust recently saved £200,000 in just three months after implementing a new e-learning programme. Moving classroom training online cuts down on agency and travel costs, but also frees up more time for staff to spend with patients. Digital means flexibility, giving employees more control over when and where they do training.
But this can’t be the whole story. E-learning must also engage people in learning, motivate action, support behaviour change, help improve performance and reinforce knowledge. This will only happen if the NHS rethinks its approach to e-learning, focusing on good design and appropriate learning technologies. It is going to take some ambition, vision and a little bit of courage.
New techniques and gamified learning
Some NHS trusts are moving in the right direction and using new techniques to bring their e-learning to life. E-learning games are a good example. These are high on the engagement stakes, making training stimulating and enjoyable. They also allow people to practice what they learn by playing out scenarios in a game environment. This all helps to embed the learning.
Southern Health NHS FT is one of the first trusts of its kind to use e-learning games as part of its statutory and mandatory training, including fire safety, infection prevention control and manual handling. Staff have responded positively to this new style of online learning. One employee said: “I enjoyed fire training for the first time ever!”
It’s early days in gamified learning for the NHS, but the corporate world has been using it for much longer with compelling results. Professional services firm Deloitte has seen a 50% increase in completions for gamified e-learning courses. The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, has seen a 55% drop in reportable safety incidents in its US-based logistic wing, following the introduction of a game-based knowledge platform. Gamification has even been linked to lower absenteeism and improved customer service in companies where it has boosted employee engagement and motivation.
Learning technologies that were once expensive and difficult to implement are now more affordable and accessible, paving the way for large-scale adoption in the NHS. Interactive video was once the realm of high-budget advertisers, but it’s now being used in corporate learning to help people develop their soft skills or leadership qualities.
Royal Mail is using interactive video to help its operational managers deal with difficult work conversations. The online training allows them to experience realistic exchanges with employees and try out different responses. Approximately 90% of managers surveyed said they had made lasting changes to how they approached difficult conversations after taking the course. Interactive video clearly has potential for the NHS, where good leadership and constructive personal interactions are so important.
Mobile learning is another private sector trend that has not been fully embraced by the NHS. In 2011, a report identified the opportunities for the health service presented by mobile learning. It set out 27 different benefits to mobile learning for the NHS workforce. As well as the obvious ones, such as convenience and flexibility, it identified aspects including immediacy of feedback and the ability to provide learning at the point of need.
We’re still waiting for the mobile revolution in NHS learning, despite some progress. The original report identified “complex challenges” including technical constraints, but also issues around lack of acceptance and confidence in learning with mobiles. One way around this for the NHS is to cover all bases with e-learning that works on any device. Technological advances mean that multi-device e-learning can be created using open-source tools like Adapt.
In summary, e-learning has moved on in leaps and bounds in the past few years, offering new opportunities to deliver effective, measurable training in highly engaging and interactive formats. The NHS needs to push the boundaries to gain the benefit. Savings must be balanced with quality; otherwise, e-learning investment will fail to reach its full potential.
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