Capacity building is one of the main activities of KNCV in the Netherlands. As the number of cases of TB decline, and correspondingly the number of healthcare workers is reduced, online learning becomes an increasingly valuable method for maintaining excellence in TB care.
In 2014, KNCV developed its first online course for Dutch nurses working in ambulatory care for TB in the Netherlands. This is a new approach to providing learners with all the basic knowledge and skills necessary to support a patient with TB and to assure that the treatment is successfully completed and the patient cured. The principle of e-learning is to invite the learners to think through a topic or problem, ensure they receive immediate feedback on their answers, adding additional resources/information. The modules were built as a story with a logical flow and a clear begin and end. Three model patients were created, using actors. All methods were tested with users.
The course was developed in close collaboration with TB nurses in the field. The e-learning course is certified by the professional nursing body, which nurses can follow in their own time. The course is suitable both as a refresher for experienced TB nurses and for training new TB nurses, who both can follow the course in their own time developing the e-learning module has helped to build our own capacity in innovative e-learning. We see many possibilities for applying this model to different target groups, including blended learning or in combination with mentoring and supervision.