Use of cutting edge educational technology for comparative effectiveness research: Developing an infrastructure for informed health care decision-making

Background: Community and public health practitioners are increasingly required to consider both cost and effectiveness of an intervention when making health care decisions. However, public health practitioners currently lack the capacity to appropriately leverage data and conduct comparative effectiveness research (CER). Providing practitioners with expertise in analytic techniques and best practices in CER is a necessary step to fuel informed decisions that will improve the quality of health care. Objective/Purpose: To demonstrate the utility of e-learning to increase the capability of the public health workforce in conducting CER in public health. Methods: We describe a case study using rapid e-learning technology and educational evaluation in the context of CER. Web-based distance learning was used as a platform for dynamic training sessions and interactive assessments. Course evaluations were conducted to document participant satisfaction and changes in knowledge and proficiency. Results: We developed a 13-week comprehensive CER curriculum, grounded in a rapid e-learning environment. Educational materials were tailored to enhance knowledge and facilitate the application of CER principles. Weekly live or video-conferenced staff meetings served as a forum for evaluating, integrating, and advancing CER concepts to develop tangible products. Course evaluations demonstrated that the incorporation of health informatics and information technology can aid in the generation and synthesis of evidence on the comparative effectiveness of public health and medical interventions. Discussion/Conclusions: The use of innovative and affordable didactic technology can build the collective capacity of health professionals for conducting methodologically sound CER studies for informing quality and fiscally responsible health care decisions.