The researchers did this study to address unmet needs for family planning and advance women’s rights. US federal foreign aid recipients must ensure compliance with the family planning legislative and policy requirements.
This cross-sectional study examined the effect of blended learning that included three components on retaining family planning compliance knowledge. Six hundred and sixty learners completed the online survey. Participants were questioned regarding their understanding of family planning compliance and suggestions to improve their learning experiences.
Knowledge retention was higher in the group that utilized all three learning approaches than the online course plus conference call group. Participants who took the online course multiple times tended to retain knowledge better than respondents who took it only once, although this result was not statistically significant.
The study relied on a convenience sample, which may contribute to bias. While low at 8%, the response rate was representative of the user base and included 660 respondents.
The study concluded that blended learning training resulted in the highest knowledge retention gains compared with online-only learning. These findings suggest that blended learning and repeat online exercise are critical to ensuring health professionals are aware of family planning compliance regulations.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/44/2/109
