(P-ED-2) Evaluation of Transfusion Medicine Continuing Education Provided by a Large Blood Center

Background/Case Studies: Opportunities to obtain continuing education (CE) credit can be challenging, particularly in recent years with the pandemic and fewer in-person meetings. We at a large blood center offered CE via live webinars and on-demand programs on many transfusion medicine topics at three levels of instruction. Participants registered online and attended at no cost. On-demand programs, including recordings of live webinars and interactive stand-alone programs, were offered on an open-access webpage. After program completion, attendees were re-directed to complete an evaluation, and subsequently received CE certificate via email.

Study

Design/Methods: This study sought to identify trends for attendance of CE in transfusion medicine. We compared attendance versus mode of delivery (live webinar vs. on-demand), the most popular lecture topics, preferred level of instruction, and optimal duration of program availability. The study included CE offered in 2021 and 2022. Educational programs were advertised by communication to blood center customers, online, and via monthly email newsletter. Live webinars were delivered through Demio webinar platform. Evaluation forms were created using Form Assembly integrated with Salesforce for automated administration of P.A.C.E. CE certificates and attendance data collection. Lecture topics included: Apheresis, Blood Center Activities, Blood Group Genomics, Cellular Therapy, Hematology/Hemostasis, HLA, Immunohematology, and Transfusion Support. Levels of instruction were basic, intermediate, and advanced. Online recordings in 2021 were available for 7-8 months, and in 2022, shortened to 3-4 months.

Results/Findings: See Table 1 for summary of findings. During the study period, 164 total CE programs were offered, 73 live webinars and 91 on-demand, with a total of 12,526 attendees. Average attendance of live webinars was significantly greater than on-demand programs (110 vs 51, p< 0.0001, two-tailed t test). The most popular lecture topics based on average attendance were Blood Center Activities, Immunohematology, HLA and Blood Group Genomics. Only a few advanced level lectures were offered; there was not significant difference in attendance between basic and intermediate levels (p=0.1557). Availability of online recordings for 3-4 months compared to 7-8 months did not result in significant decrease in attendance (p=0.5758).

Conclusions: While on-demand CE opportunities provided convenience and easy access, there was significantly better attendance of live webinars, supporting prioritizing this format going forward. All transfusion medicine topics were well-attended, with more programs focusing on HLA and Blood Group Genomics warranted. Similarly, an observed preference for basic level will be considered in future CE provided. There is no significant benefit to making online recordings available >3-4 months.

Importance of research: Continuing education (CE) in transfusion medicine is a requirement for certification maintenance for many laboratory professionals. A study of attendance trends for transfusion medicine CE offered by a large blood center can inform preferred CE platform, topics, and level of instruction. These results can be considered by other CE providers to support success of future programs.