The effect of virtual education of cardiovascular risk factors on the knowledge of general physicians

Aim: cardiovascular diseases as the most important diseases in the elderly are progressing conditions which start in childhood and show their clinical manifestations mostly during adulthood and midlife. Early diagnosis of these illnesses improves their prognosis and leads to their timely treatment; therefore, increasing the knowledge of medical personnel regarding their early diagnosis seems to me essential. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of virtual education on the knowledge of general practitioners (GPs) about cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: This was a before and after interventional study. The study sample consisted of 40 general practitioners who worked in General Service Centers of Bandar Abbas. Subject were recruited by a census method. The required data were gathered by means of a questionnaire in two phases: once before the intervention, an educational file about cardiovascular risk factors which was given to the subjects via multimedia methods including booklets, CD, and social networks (Telegram, Whatsapp, and etc.), and once after the intervention after a one month interval. The questionnaires were filled out in the presence of the researcher. The acquired data was entered into the SPSS software version 19 and analyzed by appropriate statistical tests. Results: The results of this study showed that the knowledge of GPs about diabetes and hypertension significantly increased after the intervention (P-Value=0.02 and P-Value=0.000 respectively). Their knowledge of physical activities, obesity, smoking, the role of gender, and dyslipidemia also increased after the intervention; however, the increase was not statistically significant (P-Value=0.973, P-Value=0.167, P-Value=0.211, P-Value=0.211, and P-Value=0.236 respectively). GPs were also asked about the preferred method for education (booklets, CDs, and social networks) in the post-test questionnaire. 80% had chosed booklets and 20% had chosen social networks as their preferred method. None of the GPs preferred CDs. Conclusion: According to the results of our study, seemingly GPs prefer educational booklets over CDs or social networks as a means of their scientific education and this method of education without the need to literally attend any programs can be useful to increase the knowledge of GPs in different fields.