SCI-U: E-learning for patient education in spinal cord injury rehabilitation

Abstract

Background/objectives

To develop an online patient education resource for use in spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Participants

The development process involved more than 100 subject-matter experts (SMEs) (rehabilitation professionals and consumers) from across Canada. Preliminary evaluation was conducted with 25 end-users.

Methods

An iterative development process was coordinated by a project team; SMEs (including patients) developed the content in working groups using wiki-based tools. Multiple rounds of feedback based on early prototypes helped improve the courses during development.

Results

Five courses were created, each featuring more than 45 minutes of video content and hundreds of media assets. Preliminary evaluation results indicate that users were satisfied by the courses and perceived them to be effective.

Conclusions

This is an effective process for developing multimedia patient education resources; the involvement of patients in all parts of the process was particularly helpful. Future work will focus on implementation, integration into clinical practice and other delivery formats (smart phones, tablets).

Keywords:

• Disability
• Patient education
• Rehabilitation
• Physical
• Spinal cord injuries

Acknowledgements

This article is based the award-winning abstract in Education presented at the 5th National SCI Conference in Toronto, Ontario, in October 2012. London, Ontario, Canada. The study was funded by Rick Hansen Institute. Partners: Toronto Rehab/University Health Network (Toronto, ON), Spinal Cord Injury Ontario (previously CPA Ontario, Toronto, ON), Alberta Health Services (Edmonton & Calgary, AB), Lawson Health Research Institute (London, ON).