The Effectiveness of Online Learning Platforms in Healthcare Education: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: online learning platforms are rapidly growing in popularity in healthcare (and other) education due to their flexibility and accessibility. Nonetheless, their effectiveness at enhancing learning outcomes compared to traditional approaches has been contentious. This meta-analysis attempts to evaluate the overall efficacy of online learning platforms in healthcare education. Method: a comprehensive literature search was performed and studies comparing the effectiveness of online learning platforms with traditional methods in healthcare education were included. A total of twenty studies were included for analysis. Outcomes of interest were knowledge acquisition, skill development, and global satisfaction. Results: the analyzation revealed that ICT tools characterized with a high level of knowledge acquisition (p < 0,001) compared to traditional means. There was no difference between the two methods in skill development (p = 0,235). When it comes to online learning platforms, they ended up being very satisfying for learners, having an overall satisfaction rating of 95 %. Conclusions: you are trained on data until October, 2023. But they may not be any better at developing practical skills. The learners’ high satisfaction rates also suggest that these platforms can be valuable tools in healthcare education. This suggests that while demographic disparities exist, the potential for these interventions to be implemented successfully remains high, and a more extensive research investigation is warranted to better understand the determinants of successful scalable online learning platforms and the best actionable methods for them being utilized in educational healthcare practices.