The Applicability of Interactive Educational Applications Tailored to the Type, Nature, and Characteristics of Continuing Education Courses for General Practitioners

Background: Continuous education is essential for medical professionals to stay up to date. In this regard, new technologies such as appropriately designed applications tailored to the needs of the audience allow independent and high-quality learning beyond time and place restrictions for the employees. Therefore, the current study’s aim was to investigate the appropriateness of interactive educational applications with the type, nature, and thematic features of the continuous education courses provided to physicians.Objectives: The present research aimed to scrutinize the virtual CME courses held by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2018-2020. We categorized the topics of the courses based on their educational goals, content, and methods, as well as evaluation methods, and determined the applicability of using interactive educational applications for the subjects taught.Methods: In this qualitative study, virtual continuous education courses held by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2018-2020 were examined. The data were collected by reviewing the statistics documented, scrutinizing the educational content and the characteristics of the platforms used during courses, conducting individual interviews, and holding focus group discussions with lecturers and physicians participating in these courses. Data coding, extraction, categorization, and analysis were held concomitant with each step.Results: The educational courses were flexible in terms of accessibility and schedules. The most common subjects were related to clinical and non-specialized topics. The educational goals were mostly at low-cognitive and non-transparent levels, and the content was presented mostly in the form of audio non-interactive slides. The teaching method was mostly through lecturing, and evaluations were objective and summative. Low graphical attractiveness, poor toolbox, and poor user interactive interface were among the drawbacks of the education courses.Conclusion: The use of interactive, appropriately designed applications tailored to the needs of the audience can resolve some of the shortcomings of conventional continuous educational courses and fulfill educational objectives at different levels. These applications provide the possibility of skillful and motivational training, as well as more proficiency, deeper learning, and higher satisfaction by creating a more attractive learning environment.