Table 2.
Summary of the selected articles (Excel)
| Author(s) | Year | Country | Participants (sample size) |
Design | Objective(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennison [21] | 2011 | US | Nurses (n = 50) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the computer-assisted learning module used in this study and its impact on its participants |
| Sherriff and Burston [22] | 2012 | Australia | Nurses (n = 107) | Quasi-experimental design | To evaluate the effect of an online medication calculation education and testing program |
| Spiva et al. [23] | 2012 | Canada | Nurses (n = 135) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the effectiveness of nurses' ability to interpret basic electrocardiogram strips accurately using different learning modalities |
| Gordon et al. [24] | 2013 | US | Practicing pediatric respiratory therapists (RTs) (n = 40), registered nurses (RNs) (n = 163), and nurse practitioners (NPs) (n = 12) | Randomized controlled trial | To determine whether a brief educational video administered online improved nurse practitioners' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding skin cancer and skin cancer prevention counseling |
| Alipour et al. [25] | 2014 | Iran | Nurses ( n = 60) | Pre-post test design | To compare the effect of traditional face-to-face teaching with that of electronic learning via short message service (SMS) in improving the knowledge of nurses about breast cancer screening as part of the continuing education programs |
| Kim and Shin [26] | 2014 | Korea | Nurses (n = 32) | Pre-post test design | To test the effectiveness of an online problem-based learning (e-PBL) program that offers multimedia scenarios to develop sexual health care competencies |
| Liu and Chu [27] | 2014 | China | Nurses (n = 40) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the nursing cace management e-learning program |
| McCrow et al. [28] | 2014 | Australia | Nurses (n = 147) | Cluster randomized controlled trial | To evaluate the impact of a delirium-specific educational website |
| Yoshikawa [29] | 2014 | Japan | Nurses (n = 32) (22 general nurses and 9 dysphagia nurses) | Prospective, descriptive study | To determine the effectiveness of interactive e-learning materials on the use of syringe pumps compared to traditional video materials |
| De Gagne et al. [30] | 2015 | Korea | Community health nurses (n = 25) | One-group, pretest–posttest design | To develop an online continuing education course on continence care for community health nurses and to examine its effectiveness |
| Delaney et al. [31] | 2015 | US | Critical care and emergency department nurses (n = 82) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the impact or influence of a multimodal sepsis educational program for critical care and emergency department nurses on knowledge acquisition and self-assessed competence in the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis |
| Hsu et al. [32] | 2015 | China | Nurses (n = 104) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the effect of an online caring curriculum in enhancing the nurses' caring behavior |
| Johnson et al. [33] | 2015 | Australia | Nurses (n = 71) | Pre-post test design | To investigate the impact of an e-learning education program for nurses on falls risk screening, falls prevention, and post-falls management |
| Kato et al. [34] | 2015 | Japan | Midwives (n = 48) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate an e-learning educational program for midwives to acquire knowledge about postpartum hemorrhage |
| Murphy et al. [35] | 2015 | UK | Healthcare professionals (n = 43) | Qualitative methodology (focus group interviews) | To develop and evaluate the efficacy of a freely available, internet-based learning resource for nurses and allied health professionals who provide nutrition, diet, and lifestyle advice for cancer survivors |
| Sarabia-Cobo et al. [36] | 2015 | Spain | Health professionals (n = 12,400) | Retrospective and observational study | To describe and profile the satisfaction and knowledge of students enrolled in two MOOCs on clinical safety, offered by the Department of Nursing at the University of Cantabria in the academic years 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 |
| Berggren et al. [37] | 2016 | Sweden | District nurses/registered nurses and general practitioners/ physicians working with home care (n = 140) | Observational cohort study | To evaluate the effectiveness of a continuing educational intervention on primary health care professionals' familiarity with information important to nutritional care in a palliative phase, their collaboration with other caregivers, and their level of knowledge about important aspects of nutritional care |
| Okuroğlu and Alpar [38] | 2016 | Turkey | Healthcare professionals (n = 50) (44 nurses and 6 midwives) | Pre-post test design | To develop and evaluate a web-based type 2 diabetes training program (WB-DEP) for healthcare professionals |
| Perrego [39] | 2016 | US | Perioperative staff members (RNs, RN first assistants, surgical technologists) (n = 66) | Pre-post test design | To determine whether online education for perioperative staff on regulated waste disposal is effective in bringing about change in regulated waste management |
| Sarna et al. [40] | 2016 | China | Nurses (n = 1386) | Prospective single-group design | To evaluate a web-based educational smoking cessation program on changes in the frequency of hospital-based nurses’ self-reported interventions to help smokers quit using the 5 As (i.e. Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange), to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke, and to change attitudes about nurses’ involvement in tobacco control |
| Sinclair et al. [41] | 2016 | Australia | Healthcare professionals (HCPs) | Systematic review | To identify, appraise, and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of e-learning programs for healthcare professionals' behaviour and patient outcomes |
| Bond et al. [42] | 2017 | Australia | Nurses (n = 236), pharmacists (n = 70), doctors (n = 271) | Pre-post test design | (1) To determine health professionals’ experience and knowledge of clinical use of vancomycin,an antibiotic used for treatment of serious infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and (2)to describe the design and implementation of a Web-based e-learning tool created to improve knowledge in this area |
| Glover et al. [43] | 2017 | US | Critical care and emergency department nurses (n = 82) | Quasi-experimental design (a randomized crossover study) | To describe a collaboration between private industry and a hospital to modify, implement, and evaluate a simulation-based blended PIVC insertion continuing education program for staff nurses |
| Kong et al. [44] | 2017 | Korea | Nursing staff (nurses and geriatric care assistants) (n = 122) | Cluster-randomized controlled trial | To evaluate the effects of a multicomponent restraint reduction program (MRRP) for nursing staff in Korean nursing homes |
| Mannning et al. [45] | 2017 | UK | Nurses (n = 98) | Prospective, uncontrolled, intervention study/ mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design | (1) To determine the impact of a digital educational intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, confidence and behavioral intention of registered children's nurses working with children and young people (CYP) admitted with self-harm; (2) to explore the perceived impact, suitability, and usefulness of the intervention |
| Micheel et al. [46] | 2017 | US | Health care professionals (n = 751) | Pre-post test design | To assess learning styles of oncology healthcare professionals and to determine whether learning style-tailored educational materials lead to enhanced learning |
| Shin et al. [47] | 2017 | Korea | Nurses (n = 50) | Non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design | To evaluate the effects of using e-learning on neurologic assessment knowledge, ability, and self-confidence among nurses |
| Smith et al. [48] | 2017 | US | Nurses (n = 34) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the effect of a multimodal educational strategy on critical care nurses’ knowledge and confidence to assess and manage delirium using the CAM-ICU |
| Trudeau et al. [49] | 2017 | US | Primary care providers (n = 238) | Randomized controlled trial |
To improve pain management practices, they developed an online interactive continuing education (CE) program for primary care providers (PCPs) and tested the efficacy of this program |
| Williams et al. [50] | 2017 | US | Nursing home staff (nurses and nursing assistants, speech/music/occupation therapist, ancillary staff) (n = 141) | Quantitative study / pre- post-and follow-up survey | To establish feasibility and determine the preliminary effects of the online program in preparation for a national pragmatic clinical trial |
| Ylönen et al. [51] | 2017 | Finland | Nurses ( n = 946) | Pre-post test design | To test the effectiveness of an Internet-based education programme about venous leg ulcer nursing care on perceived and theoretical knowledge levels and attitudes among nurses working in home health care |
| Goodman et al. [52] | 2018 | US | Nurse practitioners (n = 30) | Pre-post test design | To determine whether a brief educational video administered online improved nurse practitioners' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding skin cancer and skin cancer prevention counseling |
| Meredith et al. [53] | 2018 | Australia | Predominately nurses and occupational therapists (n = 121), including nurse (n = 38) | Multiple-method study employed a longitudinal survey design | To investigate the efficacy of this training when provided through a custom-designed e-learning package |
| Oneill et al. [11] | 2018 | US | Nurses (n = 37) | Pre-post test design | To increase nurses’ knowledge with respect to best practices for catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI); to enhance frontline staff engagement in best practices using a technology-driven platform infused with game-based learning |
| Abel et al. [54] | 2019 | US | Nurses (n = 29) | Pre-post test design | To evaluate the effectiveness of an online learning, certificate programme for front-line nurse leaders' sense of empowerment |
| Gullatte et al. [55] | 2019 | US | Nurses and social workers (n = 20) | Pre-post test design | To measure the impact of TACE on improving the capability and comfort of caregivers with end-of-life communication |
| Kaneko et al. [56] | 2019 | Japan | Nurses (n = 26) | Non-randomized pre–post test design |
To conduct an educational program based on the cognitive restructuring method in order to provide nurses with training in emotional coping, and to verify changes in emotional coping tendencies |
| Lineker et al. [57] | 2019 | Canada | Various professions in primary care, including family physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and nurses (n = 89) | Pilot study | To evaluate whether the Arthritis Clinical Practice Guidelines GRIP online program improves primary care providers' recommendations and adherence to arthritis best practices and increases their confidence and satisfaction in their arthritis management capabilities |
| Rouleau et al. [9] | 2019 | Canada | Systematic review target of registered nurses (included study n = 22) | Systematic reviews of systematic qualitative, quantitative, mixed-studies reviews | To systematically summarize the qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding the effects of e-learning on nursing care among nurses in a continuing education context |
| Schilinski et al. [58] | 2019 | US | Nurses (n = 114) | One-group pretest–posttest, longitudinal study employing survey methodology | To determine if RNs retain and value education provided by an EDLM |
| Colaceci et al. [59] | 2020 | Italy | Healthcare professionals (n = 4582); most learners were nurses(n = 1820) | Pre–post test design | To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of an online national program on infant nutrition for HCPs |
| Harvey et al. [60] | 2020 | US | Health care professionals (most learners were nurses (75.19%) and a majority of learners worked in oncology (74.68%)) | Pre–post test design | To evaluate the Cancer Survivorship E-Learning Series for Primary Care Providers developed to address the need for cancer survivorship training and education for healthcare providers focused on primary care |
| Horiguchi et al. [61] | 2020 | Japan | Nurses (n = 164) | Intervention study | To investigate the educational methods using E-learning teaching materials that were utilized to improve nurses’ skills in promoting team-based diabetes medical care |
| Howard and Embree [62] | 2020 | US | Nurses (n = 49) | Quasi-experimental mixed-methods design | To examine whether an educational intervention can increase awareness and knowledge of incivility and bullying and enhance communication skills |
| Isoyama [63] | 2020 | Japan | Midwives (n = 25) | Quasi-experimental study/before-and-after evaluation study | To develop and evaluate training programs to improve understanding and awareness of perinatal family role acquisition among midwives |
| Kurotaki [64] | 2020 | Japan | Nurse manager (n = 72) | Randomized controlled design |
To verify the effectiveness of an educational program developed to improve hospital nursing administrators’ ability to accept supporting nurses |
| Martinengo et al. [12] | 2020 | Singapore |
RCTs for healthcare professionals in chronic wound management |
Systematic review | To assess the effectiveness of digital education in improving healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, practical skills and behaviour change on chronic wound management, and their satisfaction with the intervention |
| Mun and Hwang [65] | 2020 | Korea | Nurses (n = 56) | Randomized controlled design | To develop a web-based anticancer chemotherapy nursing course for clinical nurses and to examine its effectiveness in terms of job knowledge, self-efficacy, and nursing performance |
| Shchory et al. [66] | 2020 | Israel | Nurses and physicians (n = 433: 73% nurses, 27% physicians) | Pre–post design | To explore the effect of an intervention program on the knowledge and attitudes among physicians and nurses regarding ADRs reporting |
| Yeo et al. [67] | 2020 | Singapore | Healthcare professionals who attended the Neonatal Resuscitation Course (mainly physicians and nurses) (n = 162) | Quantitative study / post-and follow- up survey | To report findings of a study on the effectiveness of a web-based game as an aid for retention of knowledge and technical skills in neonatal resuscitation subsequent to "standard" simulation-based training in neonatal resuscitation |
| Yoshida et al. [68] | 2020 | Japan | Nurse (n = 32) (22 general nurses and 9 dysphagia nurses) | Prospective, descriptive study | To clarify the effectiveness of an education program concerning the use of ultrasonography to assess swallowing function (the "Swallowing Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education Program") |
| Lim and Yi [69] | 2021 | Korea | Nurses (n = 118) | Randomized controlled trial | To develop a web-based education program using medical malpractice cases and to evaluate the effectiveness with regard to legal obligations and patient safety competency of nurses |
| Matsumoto et al. [70] | 2021 | Japan | Nurse educators (n = 38) | Pre–post test design | To report on a POCUS train-the-trainer program for nurse educators that targets lower urinary track dysfunction |
| Ota [71] | 2021 | Japan | Nurses (n = 16) | Intervention study | To develop an e-learning program on "support mother-infant attachment formation in the early postpartum period" for nurses engaged in early postpartum mother-infant care and to evaluate its usability (hereinafter referred to as UI) |
| Williams et al. [72] | 2021 | US | Nursing home staff (nurses and nursing assistants, speech/music/occupation therapist, ancillary staff) (n = 141) | Quantitative study/pre–post and follow-up survey | To establish feasibility and determine the preliminary effects of the online program in preparation for a national pragmatic clinical trial |
| Evelyn et al. [73] | 2022 | US | Nurses (n = 34) | Pre–post test design | To assess the overall nursing knowledge of the pain mechanisms of Sickle Cell Disease and self-reporting of pain and to measure the change in nursingknowledge and simulated practice behavior after completion of education focused on practice change |
| Fang et al. [74] | 2022 | Switzerland | Healthcare professionals caring for old patients and family members(n = 38) | Pre–post test design | To test the efectiveness of an intervention (the online communication skills training on trasitional care [OTCCST] and traditional care) |
| Nakamura et al. [75] | 2022 | Japan | Nurses ( n = 130) | Randomized controlled design | To evaluate a hiesho intervention program for nurses called "Preventing Hiesho: An Intervention Program for Education Nurses" in terms of its effectiveness in improving the knowledge and perception of nurses about the importance of hiesho care |
| Suzuki et al. [76] | 2022 | Japan | Nurses ( n = 71) | Pre–post test design | To evaluate the effectiveness of a "Dementia nursing practice competency development program" for nurses in acute care hospitals |
| Bos et al. [77] | 2023 | Netherlands | General practitioners (n = 17) and nurses(n = 16) | Pre–post test design | To evaluate a newly developed blended learning programme for general practitioners (GPs) and nurses in supporting shared decision making (SDM) about palliative cancer treatment in a simulated setting |