Uptake and perceptions of an e-learning package on blood transfusion by trainees in Wales

E-learning  packages  are  increasingly  promoted  as  an  effective  way  of delivering  training  within  the  National  Health  Service  in  the  UK.  In  response  to  a recommendation by the reporting body Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT UK) we  prospectively  evaluated,  over  one  year,  the  uptake  among  the  266  Foundation Year-1  (FYI)  trainees  in Wales  of  a  blood  transfusion  package  developed  by  the
Scottish Blood Transfusion Service. The package consisted of two modules and was made available to FY1 trainees at hospital trust inductions. At the end of FY1 there was a 65% registration rate, with 54% of trainees completing at least one level and 42%  completing  both.  Ninety-three  trainees  therefore  failed  to  engage  with  the package. There was enormous disparity in uptake rates between NHS trusts, varying between 0% and 100%. Feedback to trusts in the form of benchmarking appeared to increase uptake. We conclude that this mode of delivery fails to engage a significant proportion of the intended audience and that there is extensive variation between organisations in their ability to deliver such training. Maximising the effectiveness of such packages will therefore require a more complex approach to delivery. Evidence suggests that blending e-learning with other methods could address these issues, and further evaluation of such an approach is recommended.