Comparison of face-to-face and virtual training in implementation of patient blood management

Patient blood management is an evidence-based medical and surgical concept in order to achieve a better clinical outcome for patients. The first step in the establishment of patient blood management is its training. The purpose of this research is to investigate face-to-face and virtual educational methods for the establishment of patient blood management.

In 2016, a prospective study was designed to implement "patient blood management" in Shahid Lavasani Hospital. The hospital staff were randomly selected from three groups of doctors, nurses and laboratory staff to enter one of the virtual and face-to-face training groups. The training focused on the principles of "patient blood management", substitutes for blood products and restrictive blood transfusion. After completing the course, both groups participated in a uniform exam. One-way Annova, chi-square, and paired t-test were used for comparison. We used SPSS version 23 software for analysis.

The average score of people in the face-to-face course was 90.7 ± 10.1 (64-100) and in the virtual course 90.8 ± 10.6 (58-100). There was no significant difference in the average scores of participants in the face-to-face and distance training (p = 0.9). Neither was there any relation between work experience (p= 0.9) and years of education (p = 0.1).

The knowledge gained in the participants of this study did not show a significant difference between the two virtual and face-to-face groups. In order to implement "patient blood management" in hospitals across the country, face-to-face and virtual trainings can be used.