By Abhishek Ghosh,
In the recent past online education has been picking up consistent momentum, and now it is set to enter mainstream learning culture. It is the transformative power of the internet and digitization at work, leading to the birth of a virtual world where people are engaged for multiple reasons ranging from professional, educational, and commercial to recreational purposes. The education space is also leveraging this virtual transformation, and providing viable online learning communities that can complement conventional face-to-face approach.
Online learning in the medical profession
Online education especially online peer learning is finding adoption to facilitate teaching and mentoring in the medical profession, too. It is found that online education-support tools can widen the prospects for clinical teachings and these prospects can be personalized to suit the individual need of medical professionals who may have varied commitments. This is a dynamic approach that takes into account the busy nature of medical practitioners.
It is well known that Medical practitioners are spread across the breadth of the country including in remote locations which makes it impossible to gather members under one roof and disseminate information on new medical science In fact, the geographic limitation is one major factor identified as a gap in medical education. And this is where the online mode of learning enters the scene to provide a dynamic alternative. That said, the online model is a promising solution because it does away with geographic limitations and brings together people on a virtual interface no matter where they reside. Given the constant need for medical practitioners to stay up-to-date with new medical science, online learning is a game changer.
Delivering alternative solutions
To a great extent, it is possible to bridge the learning gap by leveraging virtual learning platforms or communities. Up until a few years back, knowledge and learning experiences for medical professionals had been available only via physical formats such as medical conferences, one-to-one interactions with medical reps etc. But now, with the advent of the internet, it is possible to provide learning materials and facilitate interactions through easy to consume formats online.
As things stand, a vast gamut of medical information, global best procedures, and case studies can be aggregated under one roof and made available through simplified formats such as webinars, expert videos, journal articles, podcasts, and a host of other easy to consume formats.
All the learners/practitioners have to do is simply sift through the vast pool of information compiled by subject experts across the globe to better inform themselves and up their expertise in terms of diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving patient outcomes. Interestingly, this potential enables the creation of online platforms that will facilitate a highly effective learning solution that will bring together the world’s healthcare professionals into one tightly knit online community. As such, there can be the possibility of upskilling and knowledge upgrading amongst healthcare practitioners utilizing multi-format content. And by emphasizing highly understandable expert videos, such initiatives will go a long way in enhancing field knowledge and bridging learning gaps.
Upskilling of doctors – Need of the hour
To that end, if there is one thing that can resolve the learning challenges posed by geographical limits, it is a digital platform on which medical practitioners from across the globe can enrol to learn from experts who would provide top-notch content on a daily basis. This is to say that such a platform will tie-up with top international universities, associations, medical bodies, and subject matter experts.
Interestingly, such initiatives are receiving traction and are visible in the form of start-ups whose businesses basically revolve around on-boarding subject matter experts and learners to provide an interaction point for the two segments. These online learning networks could radically lead to democratisation of knowledge and facilitate skill development among medical practitioners who face the need to upskill and reinvent themselves to stay relevant.
(The author is Director & Co-founder, MediSage. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)
