The perspectives of young general practitioners/family physicians on MOOC as part of continuous education: a descriptive semi-qualitative multinational study

Abstract

Objectives In 2018, Harvard University provided a 10-week online course titled Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality and Safety as using Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) web-based platform. The course was designed for those who care about health and healthcare and wish to learn more about how to measure and improve that care - for themselves, for their institutions, or for their countries. The goal of this course was to provide visual and written education tools for different countries and different age groups. In respect to the aim of this study is to evaluate the impressions and benefits of group learning activity and educational needs after this Improving Global Health courses experience with an online survey among the participants. Methods Sixty-six family medicine practitioners and trainees who were among the participants of the course were the universe of the study. These young General Practitioners/Family Physicians (GPs/FPs) from different countries were organized among themselves to follow the course as a group activity. Two weeks after the course, an online survey was sent to all the participants of this group activity. Results Twenty-eight out of 66 participants (42.4%) completed the survey and provided feedback on their perspectives and experience. Most of them were female (70.4%), and have not attended any MOOC course before (63%). This international group achieved a completion rate of approximately 65% by the deadline and nearly 90% including those finishing afterward. The majority felt that the group activity proved beneficial and supportive in nature. Conclusions Well-structured, sustainable e-learning platforms will be the near futures' medical learning devices in a world without borders. Future studies should further explore facilitators and barriers among FPs for enrolling and completing MOOCs. Furthermore, there is a need to evaluate how these group-learning initiatives may help participants incorporate lessons learned from the course into their daily practice.