Uptake and perceptions of an e-learning package on blood transfusion by trainees in Wales

E-learning packages are increasingly promoted as an effective way of delivering training within the National Health Service in the UK. In response to a recommendation by the reporting body Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT UK) we prospectively evaluated, over one year, the uptake among the 266 Foundation Year-1 (FYI) trainees in Wales of a blood transfusion package developed by the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service. The package consisted of two modules and was made available to FY1 trainees at hospital trust inductions. At the end of FY1 there was a 65% registration rate, with 54% of trainees completing at least one level and 42% completing both. Ninety-three trainees therefore failed to engage with the package. There was enormous disparity in uptake rates between NHS trusts, varying between 0% and 100%. Feedback to trusts in the form of benchmarking appeared to increase uptake. We conclude that this mode of delivery fails to engage a significant proportion of the intended audience and that there is extensive variation between organisations in their ability to deliver such training. Maximising the effectiveness of such packages will therefore require a more complex approach to delivery. Evidence suggests that blending e-learning with other methods could address these issues, and further evaluation of such an approach is recommended.