• GENITOURINARY MEDICINE
• EDUCATION
• INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

eHIV-STI was commissioned by Health Education England (HEE) in 2009 to form part of the Electronic Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) programme and was completed in 2012. It was developed by BASHH in collaboration with the Federation of the Royal College of Physicians of the UK.

The project as a whole is intended to be an educational resource for UK Specialty Registrars in Genitourinary Medicine (GUM), to support the acquisition of clinical knowledge and to prepare them for the compulsory diplomas in GUM and HIV. This group were consulted during the development of the project.1 The sessions link well with the ‘face to face’ BASHH STI and HIV course which is directed at newly training specialists in the field. Selected sessions also form the basis of Sexually Transmitted Infection Foundation competency, a blended learning package aimed at non-specialists in GUM,2 which also includes elements of clinical training and assessment. In addition, eHIV-STI is available without charge to anyone working within the National Health Service. Those not entitled to free access (including those overseas) can purchase a licence from the Community Interest Company eIntegrity.3

There are now nearly 20 000 registered eHIV-STI users who have launched a total of 232 400 learning sessions, spending a total of 85 789 h online. A new HEE hosted e-LfH hub was introduced in March 2015 to make accessing the learning much simpler, using language that is easy to understand and keeping the screen layouts clear and uncluttered.

In addition to the role which eHIV-STI plays in both specialist and non-specialist training in GUM, the sessions are also approved by the Royal College of Physicians as Continuing Professional Development for UK-based career grade doctors in the specialty,4 with certificates of completion and summary reports available for learners to document their learning.

Users are able to provide feedback at the end of each session. This is gratefully received and acted upon by the project executive. Those with a particular area of interest are welcome to offer their services as session reviewers and authors by contacting the clinical lead. In particular, Specialty Registrars are encouraged to become involved as reviewers, which could lead to a coauthor credit. This would also help them meet their curriculum requirement to develop skills in quality improvement, education and leadership.5

The initial project brief was for it to remain relevant to users so it is, therefore, essential that the content remains accurate and up to date. There is an ongoing programme to review and update all the sessions, with 14 completed so far and the remainder due over the next 3 years. The intention is that eHIV-STI will remain a vibrant and integral part of our specialty for many years to come.