Exploring the acceptance of e-learning in continuing pharmacy education
Keywords:
Continuing Pharmacy Education, e-Learning, Online LearningAbstract
Background: The results of studies on e-learning have been varied but there exists a general consensus on the benefits of this alternative medium of learning: high accessibility, flexibility, time and cost/investment benefits.
Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the popularity of e-learning among pharmacists and identify possible reasons why this may not be an accepted mode of education. We wanted to verify the hypothesis if younger pharmacists use more often e-learning and check the correlation between e-learning users and the population size of their regions of residence.
Method: A survey was designed and distributed among pharmacists who took part in continuing education.
Results: Over half of participants (54%) live in cities with >100,000 inhabitants; whereas, 14.2%, 21.2% and 10.6% pharmacists were recruited from sites with 30,000-100,000, 10,000-30,000 and <10,000 residents, respectively. The result showed that the participation rate for e-learning courses was significantly higher amongst pharmacists ≤35 years. (73.2%) compared to those >35 years of age (48.4%). The most common barrier for non-participation in e-learning was ‘preference to have a direct contact with the tutors’.
Conclusion: Younger pharmacists are more frequent users of e-learning. The main reason for non-participation in e-learning is the lack of face-to-face contact with tutors. The results showed no statistical significant difference regarding the participation rate and place of residence.
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