Online learning for crisis response: evaluating reach and perceived knowledge gains from the MOOC "Infection, Prevention, and Control of Acute Respiratory Infections for Healthcare Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (IPC MOOC)".

The COVID-19 pandemic had challenged healthcare systems worldwide, significantly affecting healthcare workers (HWs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To address the urgent need for infection prevention and control (IPC) training among diverse healthcare roles, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled "Infection, Prevention, and Control of Acute Respiratory Infections for Healthcare Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (IPC MOOC)" was developed and implemented in Ecuador. This study aimed to evaluate reach and perceived knowledge gains from the IPC MOOC, focusing on whether successful course completion was influenced by sociodemographic factors or occupational roles (manual vs. intellectual work) and whether satisfaction and perceived learning outcomes differed between these groups. The IPC MOOC was developed through an interdisciplinary collaboration involving experts from the Center for International Health at the LMU Munich University Hospital (CIH) and their partners in Latin America. It utilized problem-based learning and interactive scenarios to teach IPC principles in the context of COVID-19. The course was offered to all Ecuadorian healthcare workers between August and December 2021, with a total of 3498 participants enrolling. Data were collected through registration and post-MOOC surveys and analysed using Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests to assess the influence of sociodemographic and occupational factors on course completion and satisfaction, and to compare perceived learning outcomes between manual and intellectual workers. Of the enrolled participants, 75% completed the IPC MOOC successfully, with no significant differences in completion rates based on gender, region, or occupation. Among the 809 participants who completed the post-course survey, 80% reported high satisfaction (on a scale from 0 to 100%) with the course, and 95% would recommend it to colleagues. There was a small but statistically significant difference in perceived knowledge before the course between manual and intellectual workers (3.41 vs. 3.57 on a 5-point Likert scale; p=0.02), but post-course perceived knowledge was similar for both groups (4.08 vs. 4.14 on the same Likert scale; p=0.41). The IPC MOOC demonstrated to be an effective and accessible training tool, bridging knowledge gaps across diverse healthcare roles and promoting equitable access to IPC education. The high completion and satisfaction rates indicate its potential as a scalable educational intervention in health crisis.