ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: The ESPE e-learning web-portal (www.espe-elearning.org) was developed to address gaps in education in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes and was first published online in 2012. Since then, it has been utilized in different settings and applications. Here, we present its utilization in a series of e-learning and e-consultation webinars in collaboration with the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI- Ikatan Dokter Anak Indonesia).

Methods: A local moderator organized the webinars with assistance from the ESPE e-learning committee and facilitated tutor-participant interactions. Each session (lasting 1.5-2 hours) started with discussion of relevant sections of the e-learning web-portal (chapter and/or clinical cases) by an expert tutor on a given topic during which interactive polling kept participants engaged (e-learning component). Subsequently, selected participants presented 2-4 anonymized cases followed by questions for discussion with the tutor (e-consultation component). After the session, a survey was conducted for participants to provide feedback regarding the webinars. Furthermore, the tutor prepared a summary of key messages of the e-learning component and e-consultation discussion, and provided recent relevant review papers for further reading by the participants. The platform used was Zoom.

Results: From September 2021 to January 2023, 11 WeSPED sessions were conducted by 10 tutors. Topics included calcium and bone, diabetes mellitus, growth, precocious and delayed puberty, differences of sex development (DSD), congenital hyperinsulinism, pediatric and adolescent gynecology amongst others. Attendance ranged from 34 to 43 participants per session. Webinar participants were from Indonesia (from 17 out of 34 provinces) with the majority being pediatricians or pediatric endocrinologists, followed by trainees in pediatric endocrinology. Results from 286 survey responses from 11 sessions, revealed that most participants found the content of the sessions was most interesting (47% strongly agree, 48% agree) and that the objectives of the course were clearly identified and met (36 % strongly agree, 57% agree). Additionally, the majority found the e-consultation part of the webinar series to be very informative (41% strongly agree, 49% agree) and agreed (41% strongly agreed, 55% agreed) they plan on using information learned during the web-series in their clinical practice.

Conclusions: E-learning and e-consultation Web-series (WeSPED) demonstrates that the ESPE e-learning web-portal can be successfully utilized to provide interactive e-learning education and expert consultation in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes in Indonesia. Continuation of WeSPED to overcome inequalities in knowledge and skills along with similar initiatives in other resource limited settings provide opportunities to improve clinical knowledge and clinical practice at low cost.