Whether it’s for work, reading, socialising, or online shopping, I’ve spent more time online than offline during my waking hours, and I’m not alone. Insights from a 2021 global digital report shows that the average internet user now spends more than a third of their waking lives online!
Whilst there has been a lot of discussion about screen time and online living (especially if you are responsible for children and young adults), there has been less discussion about the benefits and opportunities that virtual education can bring. It can facilitate the upskilling of more people in healthcare than ever before, benefiting those most affected by physical, geographical, and socioeconomic barriers.
With this in mind, here are three top reasons why I believe virtual education could address a number of challenges we currently face.
- People are embracing more digital experiences
Many congresses went virtual this year and last, but this hasn’t stopped people from attending. The first sessions of the annual Atrial Fibrillation (AFIB) Symposium #AFIB2021 by Biosense Webster and Johnson & Johnson Institute – took place virtually in March and resulted in roughly 1,500 live participants and more than 600 people accessing content published on the online platform.
It’s thought that the convenience and affordability of attending virtual congresses have made them a big hit during the pandemic. The medical community no longer need to travel overseas to exchange knowledge, saving time, money, and energy.
In the same way that we’ve seen a rise in medical e-learning events over the last 20 months, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients are growing more comfortable using connected medical devices including wearables that remotely monitor chronic conditions, prescription reminders, and use point of care devices. An increasing number of people are also calling in to patient support groups to learn more about their condition and feel more confident in managing it – one patient group that I had recently spoken with saw a 500% increase in calls and emails to their organization as a result of the pandemic.
We, as consumers, are looking for convenient ways to manage our health. HCPs are embracing remote monitoring to inform medical decisions and support the move from hospital to outpatient care where possible. The two trends coming together as a result of the pandemic have accelerated the adoption of digital healthcare and increased acceptance of medical e-learning.
It’s an exciting time, and over the coming months, I’d like to see more digital transformation pilots rolling out across healthcare systems in Europe to fulfil unmet needs.
- Virtual education provides quality content at the right time and to the right people
Even before the pandemic, HCPs experienced major time constraints and stress while managing high numbers of patients per day and meeting their demands. Their administrative workload has surged, with general practitioner (GP) clinical admin workload surpassing levels seen in 2019, leaving less time for education.
Medical E-learning requires 40-60% less time compared to a traditional face-to-face setting as it allows learners to go at their own pace and fit it around other commitments. HCPs under the most pressured circumstances can benefit immensely from just a short amount of time spent learning online.
In my opinion, one of the greatest values digital technology can bring to healthcare is its ability to enable more convenient learning and education.
There is a clear benefit to making the right content easily available to HCPs. For example, through Mentor’s breast implant selection hub, surgeons can simply find digestible content that helps answer key questions about selecting breast implants. Not only could this be of benefit to the surgeon’s decision-making, but as a result of better decision-making, it has the potential to help patients achieve long term optimal and predictable results. What’s better is that the information is accessible anywhere and at any time, so surgeons can learn at their own convenience, and at their own pace.
- Virtual education could help break down disparities within the healthcare industry
It can be a logistical challenge bringing together educators and learners from across regions in one place. The #AFIB2021 symposium mentioned earlier had virtual delegates from 98 countries across the globe.
Virtual education can be a desirable proposition for female HCPs and women in the healthcare industry. With conflicting personal and professional priorities, female physicians are now doing even more at home and may have less time for travel; more opportunities for them to learn online is not only more convenient but could help close the gender equity gap in healthcare.
There is an enormous opportunity to meet the needs of medical professionals with limited access to resources. For example, in rural communities, where there’s a constant struggle to recruit and keep medical specialists, access to new or updated procedure data through virtual education can enable clinicians to bring good quality care to disadvantaged patients. Point of care (POC) devices or medical kiosks are advancing improvements in diagnosis and treatment access for rural communities and, combined with telemedicine, keep medical teams connected to patients.
Virtual education is all-inclusive and supports learning for all, so why not embrace all that it has to offer? Of course, there is still a lot to learn but I’m hopeful that innovative ways will be found to help overcome some of the diversity challenges we see in healthcare today.
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