TELELEARNING IN HEALTH - A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE

Objective: This project identified telelearning projects associated wi th the 13 established Canadian telehealth centers in order to describe the nature of their activities, outline enablers and barriers to thes e activities, and present key action plans to move the Canadian agenda on telelearning in health forward. Materials and Methods: Data were c ollected by a one-page questionnaire sent to the Canadian telehealth c enters. Recipients were asked to identify current partners in such act ivities and to indicate if such partners should complete a separate qu estionnaire. Forty-nine questionnaires were distributed. Reported enab lers, barriers, and action plans were placed in categories and analyze d. Data from 37 questionnaires, referencing 101 projects, formed the b asis of the analysis. Results: More than half of the telelearning prog rams were developed for health providers, approximately one third for undergraduate or graduate students, and a small percentage for patient s or the private sector. The most frequently used communication mode w as two-way audio/video conferencing. Enabling conditions were grouped into four categories: Canada as a country, timing, infrastructure, and collaboration and support. Five categories of barriers were cited: la ck of sustainable funding, insufficient infrastructure and resources f or sustainable programs, absence of the required culture change, lack of standardization and defined policies, and unavailability of valid a nd reliable evaluation frameworks. Eight broad constructive action ste ps were suggested. Conclusions: The reported enablers can create momen tum to carry telelearning into a position of prominence. The Canadian telehealth community recommends action steps that could facilitate the removal of barriers and maximize current opportunities.