Enhancing specimen collection skills for dried blood spots through an immersive virtual learning environment: a cross-sectional study

Hafsa Majid, Lena Jafri, Shanzay Rehman, Azeema Jamil, Fatima Khanam, Nadir Shah, Nasir Ali Khan, Aysha Habib Khan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: The quality of dried blood spot (DBS) specimens impacts newborn screening (NBS) results, hence proper training is crucial for DBS specimen collection. To address this, a training module for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and nurses was created on Moodle, a virtual learning environment (VLE). The purpose of this research was to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of this module. Methodology: Participants were trained on-site (March to December 2019), through online training sessions (January to June 2020), and the two training strategies were compared. Data analysis included the total number of participants, cost-effectiveness, trainer engagement, and the number of unacceptable samples collected by nurses/AHPs trained by the two strategies. Results: A total of 55 nurses/AHPs were trained on-site, while 79 nurses/AHPs completed the online module and received certificates through online VLE-based training. The trainer engagement and cost were more for onsite training. After online training, the specimen rejection rate was reduced from 0.84% (44 rejected out of 5220 total specimens collected) to 0.38% (15/3920). Conclusions: This study shows that using VLE-based DBS specimen collection training is feasible and effective for training nurses and AHPs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number16
JournalBMC Research Notes
Volume17
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Allied health professionals
  • Dried blood spot
  • Nurses
  • Training
  • Virtual learning environment

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