Kemper Kathi J, Amata-Kynvi Andey, Sanghavi Darshak, Whelan Julia S, Dvorkin Lana, Woolf Alan, Samuels Ronald C, Hibberd Patricia
Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Brenner's Children's Hospital, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
Acad Med. 2002 Sep;77(9):882-9. doi: 10.1097/00001888-200209000-00014.
Herbs and dietary supplements are widely used, and there is an urgent need to educate health professionals about their risks and benefits. The Internet provides an innovative way of educating busy health professionals. This study assessed the impact of an Internet-based curriculum on health professionals' knowledge, confidence, and clinical practices related to herbs and dietary supplements.
The study was a randomized crossover trial involving physicians, pharmacists, advanced practice nurses, and dietitians. Participants were invited by e-mail and randomly assigned to immediate intervention versus waiting-list groups (n = 537). The curriculum lasted ten weeks and consisted of 20 case-based modules, each involving one multiple-choice or true-or-false question and its answer, links to reliable Internet sources of additional information, and a moderated listserv discussion group. Participants were surveyed about their knowledge, confidence, and communication related to herbs and dietary supplements on enrollment, after the immediate intervention group had completed the curriculum, and after the waiting-list group completed the curriculum.
Baseline scores for knowledge, confidence, and communication were similar in the two groups. At the first follow-up, there was greater improvement in scores for all three areas in the immediate intervention group than in the waiting-list group (improvement for knowledge, 3.0 versus 1.4; confidence, 2.6 versus 0.6; communication, 0.21 versus -0.1, p <.01 for all comparisons). After all participants had received the curriculum, scores for both groups were significantly better than at baseline and similar to one another.
Internet-based education about herbs and dietary supplements for diverse health professionals is feasible and results in significant and sustained improvements in knowledge, confidence, and communication practices.
草药和膳食补充剂被广泛使用，迫切需要让健康专业人员了解它们的风险和益处。互联网为教育忙碌的健康专业人员提供了一种创新方式。本研究评估了基于互联网的课程对健康专业人员与草药和膳食补充剂相关的知识、信心及临床实践的影响。
该研究为随机交叉试验，涉及医生、药剂师、高级执业护士和营养师。通过电子邮件邀请参与者，并将其随机分为立即干预组和等待名单组（n = 537）。课程为期十周，由20个基于案例的模块组成，每个模块包含一个选择题或是非题及其答案、指向可靠互联网信息来源的链接，以及一个有主持人的邮件列表讨论组。在入组时、立即干预组完成课程后以及等待名单组完成课程后，对参与者进行关于他们与草药和膳食补充剂相关的知识、信心及沟通方面的调查。
两组在知识、信心和沟通方面的基线得分相似。在首次随访时，立即干预组在所有三个方面的得分改善均大于等待名单组（知识方面的改善：3.0对1.4；信心方面：2.6对0.6；沟通方面：0.21对 -0.1，所有比较p <.01）。在所有参与者都接受课程后，两组得分均显著优于基线，且彼此相似。
针对不同健康专业人员开展的基于互联网的草药和膳食补充剂教育是可行的，并能在知识、信心和沟通实践方面带来显著且持续的改善。
