Improving Healthcare through Digitization: Assessing the Effectiveness of a Training Program for Employees at a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Background The significance of information in the present era is unprecedented, and digitization has revolutionized industries and data storage methods. eLearning has emerged as a customised and cost-effective solution to address the limitations of traditional learning approaches. In a super-specialty tertiary care teaching hospital in South India, the need for effective and efficient training methods for nurses prompted the implementation of a newly developed digital learning tool. Methods This quasi-experimental pre-test post-test study involved 120 randomly selected nurses. A standardized questionnaire assessed the effectiveness and satisfaction levels of the newly implemented digital learning tool. Intervention: The hospital integrated the digital learning tool into the training program for nurses. Sensitized the participants through demonstrations, providing designated eLearning champions for support, and implementing a structured training process with pre-test, training material access, post-test, and feedback collection to assess effectiveness and satisfaction. Results The project yielded a net response rate of 83.3% among the recruited participants. Statistical analysis using Wilcoxon's Signed Rank test (p < 0.00001) and McNemar's test (p = 0.0077) demonstrated a significant increase in mean test scores and satisfaction rates after the implementation of the digital learning tool. Furthermore, a cost analysis revealed that the hospital saved a total value of Rs. 3,30,933.6/- through the newly implemented digitized training program. Conclusions This study highlights the importance and effectiveness of e-learning as a valuable learning tool for nurses, considering their work needs and conditions. Digitizing training processes enables hospitals to enhance training program coordination, monitor learner progress, and improve the learning experience.