Abstract
Introduction:
“Spine Class” was organised at Southport Hospitals NHS Trust. The course was awarded 6 CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points. We propose a new method for assessing the effectiveness of educational courses by pre and post testing and participant satisfaction.
Materials and Methods
The course was attended by 64 delegates (49 Allied Health Professionals e.g. Physiotherapists and 15 Physicians). 21 lectures were planned for the day. The lecturers were asked to submit 2 True/False questions (TFQs), a total of 42 questions. Questions were answered prior to the course and immediately after. The lectures were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5.
Results
Data was available from 45 delegates (35 Allied Health Professionals, 10 Physicians). The mean pre course score was 25.49 and the mean post course score was 32.69 (P< 0.01). The difference between the post course and the pre course scores quantified the knowledge gained. No correlation existed between the knowledge gained and the mean course evaluation (R = 0.449). Allied Health professionals gained more knowledge (mean = 7.97) than Physicians (mean = 4.60) (P = 0.048). The Allied Health Professionals evaluated the course (mean = 4.31) better than the Physicians (mean = 3.79) (P < 0.01).
Conclusions
The results show that “Spine Class” educated everyone. We demonstrated that TFQs are an effective way to assess knowledge. Lecture satisfaction should not affect how a course is rated due to the “Dr Fox” effect. Using a bank of True-False questions before and after a course enhances learning.
Conflicts of interest - None
Sources of funding - None
It is confirmed that this abstract has not been published in whole or substantial part nor has it been presented previously at a national meeting.
