Online CME: an effective alternative to face-to-face delivery

BACKGROUND: The Pharmacotherapies Accreditation Course (PAC) is a continuing medical education (CME) course designed to prepare practitioners for accreditation as pharmacotherapies prescribers for opioid dependence. The course incorporates a preparation stage, a workshop stage and a clinical placement component. The PAC continues to be successfully delivered in face-to-face mode since 2001. From 2003 onwards, an online alternative of the PAC was also implemented. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online alternative to an existing face-to-face CME workshop in preparing practitioners for accreditation as a pharmacotherapies prescriber for opioid dependence. METHODS: Participants were 62 practitioners who undertook the PAC between 2003 and 2006. A pretest/posttest-control group design was used, with outcome measures across the domains of knowledge, skill, and attitudes, together with a course feedback survey for both the online and face-to-face modes of the course. RESULTS: Results demonstrate that the online CME mode was equally as effective as the face-to face mode in preparing participants for their role in the treatment and management of opioid dependence, and was also rated highly by participants. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have implications for the effective design and delivery of e-learning environments for professional practice, in terms of equipping participants with requisite clinical knowledge and skills and facilitating the development of attitudes congruent with professional practice.