Reaching further with online education? The development of an effective online program in palliative oncology.

Patients in rural and remote Australia have less access to specialist oncology services and rely more on local health professionals for provision of cancer care. We have developed a 7.5-h online educational program on palliative oncology for health professionals focused on the needs of rural providers. There were 501 active (enrolled) users and 268 ad hoc (non-enrolled) users, with 90 completing evaluation. Eighty-two (91%) indicated that their learning needs were partially or entirely met. Sixty-five (75%) respondents planned to review or change their practice as a result. The online program is effective in meeting learning needs of Australian health providers, reaching high numbers with high acceptability.