Evaluating the Knowledge Retention After Virtual Training of Patient Blood Management Among Hospital’s Personnel After One Year

Background: Enhancing the knowledge of healthcare professionals is crucial for improving patient safety, as their education, retraining, experience, and skill sets are vital for patient health. Objectives: To implement patient blood management (PBM), virtual training programs were conducted to train personnel and investigate the effect of this training on their knowledge and sustained learning. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to train the staff of a 160-bed tertiary referral hospital. A total of 243 staff members were randomly recruited to participate in the study at Shahid Lavasani Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between November 2016 and November 2017. The participants included 12 (4.9%) lab technicians, 229 (94.3%) nurses, and 2 (0.8%) physicians. Before training, a test was conducted to assess their level of knowledge. Subsequently, all enrolled staff attended a virtual educational seminar employing an active learning method. The sustainability of knowledge was assessed using the same exam six months and one year later. For comparison, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, and paired t-test were applied. SPSS software version 23 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The average score of the participants was 91.15 ± 10.60, with no correlation between the years of university education and the final score. Six months later, participants were invited to retake the same test in a virtual environment, but only 35 agreed to participate. Their average score was 81.09 ± 10.31 (minimum 52 and maximum 100), showing no significant differences between groups. One year after the initial training, 116 individuals participated in the test, and their average score was 75.60 ± 10.28. After one year, clinical experience and ward-specific challenges significantly influenced their exam performance. Conclusions: Active learning methods and practical applications may enhance long-term knowledge retention following virtual training.