E-learning in healthcare professional education: an analysis of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) factors

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Healthcare professional education is a vitally important part of the healthcare system. E-learning as a means of delivering this education has grown in significance over the years. Research evidence shows that e-learning can help healthcare professionals learn new knowledge and skills. E-learning is fundamentally about education, but it is also a social phenomenon and part of a wider technological revolution. The provision of e-learning for healthcare professional development can be influenced by a number of different factors. These include political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors (PESTLE). All these phenomena influence e-learning in healthcare professional education - their degree of influence often depends on the exact context that is being discussed. A PESTLE analysis uses a framework of these macro-environmental factors that can be used in the strategic analysis of a specific domain. This paper describes an analysis of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that can influence e-learning in healthcare professional education.