Diane Langkamp, Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Akron, One Perkins Square, Akron, OH, USA, Paul M. Darden, Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Rutledge Ave, PO Box 250561, Charleston, SC, USA, Diane Kittredge, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA, Viking A. Hedberg, Pediatrics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, Plymouth, NH, USA, Ben O. Gilbertson, Pediatrics, Medical Univ of SC, General Pediatrics, 326 Calhoun St POB 250106, Charleston, SC, USA, Carol Lancaster, Institutional Research, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA, and Mary P. Mauldin, Educational Technology Lab, Medical Univ of SC, 450 Administration Building, 171 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, USA.
BACKGROUND:
Teaching Immunization Delivery and Evaluation (TIDE) is an Internet-based curriculum designed to improve knowledge of immunization delivery. Health care professionals may obtain continuing education credit (CE) by completing TIDE.
OBJECTIVE:
Determine whether TIDE increases the knowledge of health care professionals about immunization delivery.
METHOD:
The Childhood Immunization module of TIDE contains 4 interactive cases designed to teach current recommendations for immunizing young children. Each case provides learning tools about immunization delivery and asks the learner what immunizations should be given to the child. Then, the learner is given feedback that compares the learner’s answer to an expert’s answer. To obtain CE credit, the learner must complete a pre- and post-test. The pre-test presents 4 cases of a child at an office visit where the learner selects which immunizations to give. The post-test consists of 4 different cases requiring immunization decisions. Learners may complete the post-test multiple times until they receive a grade of 75% or more.
RESULT:
Between 7/02 and 11/03, 201 health care professionals (57 MDs, 85 RNs, 59 others) completed the pre- and post-tests. 119 learners requested CE (CE-learners) and 82 did not request CE (non-CE-learners). Knowledge increased significantly from a mean pre-test score of 45.4% to a mean final post-test score of 75.4% (p<.001) for CE-learners and from 41.4% to 57.3% for non-CE-learners (p=.001). CE-learners who completed the post-test more than once (n=70) had a mean pre-test score of 32.5% and a mean final post-test score of 77.1% (p<.001). 15 learners who requested CE credit did not earn CE credit because their final post-test score was <75%.
CONCLUSION:
TIDE is an effective means of increasing knowledge of immunization delivery among self-directed learners. Pass requirements for CE-credit appear to motivate learners to improve their knowledge, as measured by post-test scores.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Become familiar with an internet-based curriculum for increasing knowledge of immunization delivery.
Web Page:
www.musc.edu/tide