Inspiring confidence in cancer care with The Royal Marsden School
Elearning that 100 percent of health staff would recommend to a friend
Elearning
Games & gamification
Motion graphics
One in three people in the UK will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime but there are many myths surrounding the disease. The Royal Marsden School in London has an international reputation for excellence in cancer education. It wanted to demystify cancer care for non-specialist health professionals and support workers in the community to help improve patient experience.
Across the UK, cancer care training for community professionals, such as district nurses and healthcare assistants, was inconsistent across regions. The Royal Marsden School wanted to make it easier for people in primary health roles nationwide to plug knowledge gaps and broaden their understanding of cancer care.
Key opportunities
- Upskill health workers on key cancer care issues to plug knowledge gaps
- Inspire confidence so staff act on signs and answer patient questions
- Highlight the patient point of view to improve the cancer care experience
- Use technology to reach a broad range of primary care workers nationwide
The Sponge solution
Engaging a multi-disciplinary audience, with varying knowledge and experience, was a central challenge. In the early stages, we used learner feedback to test ideas and identify the best approach.
People start each elearning module with a pre-learning quiz to assess how confident they feel about caring for cancer patients. Their answers lead into an interactive digital course on four different aspects of cancer care.
Interactive features include:
- Myth-busting exercises challenging learners to spot facts from fiction
- Optional ‘Deeper Dive’ resources enabling people to find out more where relevant
- Real patient stories making the elearning meaningful and building empathy
- Interview-style videos adding authenticity and expert knowledge
- Bespoke animation engaging people and promoting the elearning to target audiences
Each module ends with a post-learning quiz to revisit confidence levels. Participants can download a certificate on completion.
Giving users a way to reflect and record their learning was an important part of the project. We designed a workbook to enable people to embed the learning into their daily activities.
Results
The elearning is helping to raise awareness of cancer care in the community. Hundreds of nurses, health assistants and social care workers are using it to augment their knowledge and improve the experience for patients. Even GPs and doctors are accessing the digital learning, which is freely available throughout the UK.
100% of learners would recommend the elearning to a colleague
8 different professional groups at all bands and levels use the elearning
100% positive experience reported by learners in a survey
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