Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: May 6, 2019
Open Peer Review Period: May 7, 2019 - Jul 2, 2019
Date Accepted: Oct 7, 2019
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
E-learning to improve suicide prevention practice skills: a randomized controlled trial among psychology undergraduate students
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
Despite increased evidence on the effectiveness of digital learning solutions in a variety of higher vocational education, including (para-)medical fields, online training of practical skills in psychiatry and psychology in general, and in suicide prevention specifically, remains largely understudied.
Objective:
Objective:
This study aims to determine the effectiveness of an e-learning module on suicide prevention guideline adherence, practical skills knowledge and provider’s confidence to have a dialogue about suicidal behavior in undergraduate psychology students.
Methods:
Methods:
The e-learning consisted of video registrations of therapist-patient interactions with the aim to transfer knowledge about suicide prevention guideline recommendations. The program’s effects on guideline adherence, self-evaluated knowledge and provider’s confidence were assessed using online questionnaires prior to the program (baseline, T0), at 1 month (T1) and at 3 months after baseline (T3). Eligible 3th and 4th year undergraduate psychology students were randomly allocated to the e-learning (n=211) or to a waitlist control condition (n=187), with access to the intervention after one month (T1).
Results:
Results:
Intention to treat analysis showed that the students in the intervention condition (n=211) reported higher levels of self-evaluated knowledge, provider’s confidence and guideline adherence than students in the waiting list control condition (n=187) after receiving the e-learning module, (all p-values <.001). When comparing the scores at one and three month follow up, after both groups had received access to the e-learning module, completers only analysis showed that levels of knowledge, guideline adherence and confidence within the intervention group stay constant (all p-values >.05), and that within the waiting list control group, ,the levels of all outcomes improved significantly (all p-values <.05). Overall the e-learning was evaluated fairly positive by the students.
Conclusions:
Conclusions:
An e-learning on the prevention of suicide could be an effective first step in the improvement of clinical skill knowledge. Learning outcomes of a stand-alone module were found to be similar to a training that combined e-learning with a face-to-face training, with the advantages of flexibility and low costs.
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Copyright
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