Computer Based Training: An initial study to discover why doctors trained as Disability Analysts have been reluctant to fully embrace this mode of training

• Main Author: Peter Ellis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University College London 2006-05-01
• Series: Educate~
• Online Access: http://www.educatejournal.org/index.php?journal=educate&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=61

Contextualisation
 This paper reports a study looking at computer-based training in the field of post-graduate
 medical education. The paper examines the apparent reluctance of a group of medical
 practitioners to fully engage with post-graduate medical training produced on a CD-ROM; the
 study seeks the reasons for this lack of engagement. The, perhaps, rather unexpected
 reasons for this will be of interest to many general educationalists both inside and outside the
 field of medical education.
 
 
 Abstract: Medical practitioners working as Disability Analysts were offered computer
 based training (CBT) as part of their ongoing Continuing Professional Development
 (CPD). The majority of the Disability Analysts approached in this study showed some
 reluctance to embrace this learning approach. This reluctance was characterised as
 ‘surprising’ by the developers. Consequently, it was felt important to determine the nature
 of this reluctance, so that appropriate CPD could be developed, and the effort involved in
 devising such training, better channelled. This paper describes these doctors and their
 work, the need for CPD and the type of CPD used. It also discusses the introduction of
 CBT, doctors’ responses to it and the ways in which educationalists and developers
 responded to doctors’ comments. This initial study used a semi-structured interview
 technique to gather the response data. The study also identifies important political and
 ethical issues underlying the research. It emerged that doctors choosing paper-based
 training had positive reasons for doing so. Indeed, some doctors choosing the computerbased
 training were not entirely positive about that mode of delivery.