Designing and Evaluating the Applicability of a Web-Based Training Program for Anesthesiology Staff and Students in Burn Patients

Abstract

Background: Burn patients present unique anesthetic challenges: massive fluid shifts, airway edema, and hypermetabolism that demand rapid, evidence-based management. Although web-based learning can deliver standardized, on-demand education, anesthesia technologists rarely have access to rigorously developed burn-specific resources. To design, implement, and evaluate the usability and short-term educational impact of a web-based burn-anesthesia program for practicing anesthesia technologists.
Methods: We conducted a four-phase mixed-methods study (September 2023 – April 2025). Phase 1 mapped required content through a scoping review (2014–2024) and a two-round Delphi survey of 15 experts. Phase 2 converted the validated content into a conceptual model and low-fidelity prototype, iteratively refined by two focus groups. Phase 3 produced the final application using a Python/Django back-end, a React front-end, and a PostgreSQL database. Phase 4 assessed real-world use over four weeks by 45 technologists at two Iranian teaching hospitals. Outcomes included the 27-item Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS; 0–9) and 20-item pre/post knowledge tests, analyzed with paired t-tests (α = 0.05).
Results: Forty-eight learning objects spanning eight modules (airway, fluid therapy, analgesia, pharmacology, burn pathophysiology, monitoring, nutrition, and postoperative care) met Delphi validity thresholds. The mean overall QUIS was 7.12 ± 0.78 (“good”), with subdomain means of 7.25 (overall reaction), 7.09 (screen design), 7.07 (terminology), 7.18 (learnability), and 7.00 (system capabilities). Knowledge increased from 63.4 ± 9.2 to 83.1 ± 7.6 (Δ = 19.7 ± 8.5 points; t = 14.2; p < 0.001; Cohen’s d = 2.29). No serious technical issues arose; the median weekly log-ins per user was four.
Conclusion: A systematically developed, user-centered web curriculum produced high usability scores and substantial knowledge gains among anesthesia technologists. The model offers a scalable solution for closing critical educational gaps in burn anesthesia, particularly where formal training is limited. Future research should examine long-term retention, effects on clinical performance, and patient outcomes.