Canadian on-line H1N1 Vaccination Education Program for health care
professionals is hugely successful, both in terms of participation and impact

TORONTO , Jan. 12 /CNW/ - A record-breaking 8,300 front-line health care professionals participated in an accredited, online education program about H1N1 vaccination in November 2009 alone.

The program was developed by mdBriefCase Inc., in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology of Canada . Half of the participants were physicians and the balance was made up of pharmacists and nurses.

"In terms of participation, this was the single biggest H1N1 educational program in Canada to health care professionals," said Greg Cook , President of mdBriefCase Inc. "We are very pleased with the reception to this program. Not only did many health care professionals participate, but they also rated the program as exceptionally useful. The majority of participants reported that they are much more confident discussing H1N1 vaccination issues with patients and stated that they were making significant changes to their practice as a result of participating in our program. It is exciting to see further validation of the impact online continuing education has on patient care."

Results from the participant test scores demonstrate significant knowledge gains. For example, knowledge about the rates of annual mortality risk attached to influenza without vaccination jumped by 142% (knowledge gain pre-test vs. post-test, n=1,090).

Another important element of this initiative was the collaborative care aspect. "Pharmacists and nurses are playing a critical role in the H1N1 vaccination initiative and we are very pleased to support them with relevant educational programming." said Cynthia Hastings-James, President of rxBriefCase. "This education program is a terrific example of how we can impact a large, multidisciplinary audience quickly and effectively."

The program consists of two modules; A Practical Guide to the H1N1 Vaccine and H1N1 and Pregnancy: Key Considerations for Vaccination and Management, and is currently available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the Web sites www.mdBriefCase.com, www.rxBriefCase.com and www.AdvancingIn.com. Each module includes critical information from Canadian experts and interactive case studies exercises. In addition, participants can engage in a national discussion forum on the importance of H1N1 vaccination. The courses are accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada , The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada , the Canadian Counsel on Continuing Education for Pharmacists and OPQ.

About mdBriefCase Inc.

mdBriefCase Inc. has been the leading provider of online continuing education for Canadian health care professionals since 2002. mdBriefCase creates more than 100 online learning programs each year in collaboration with leading experts, professional societies and academic institutions. Programs are offered through the Web sites; www.mdBriefCase.com, www.AdvancingIn.com, www.rxBriefCase.com and typically have over 2,000 participants over the course of 12 months. The mdBriefCase membership now constitutes the largest multi-disciplinary healthcare community in Canada with;

    
        -  46,000 physicians (out of 55,000 in Canada) composed of both
           family physicians, specialists and nurse practitioners
        -  30,000 pharmacists (out of 31,000 in Canada) composed of both
           community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists
        -  14,000 allied health care professionals composed of nurses,
           dietitians, diabetes educators, respiratory technicians etc.
    

For further information: Greg Cook, President, mdBriefCase, [phone] ext 225, [email protected]; Cynthia Hastings-James, President, rxBriefCase, [phone] ext 221, [email protected]