title: Web-based training for primary healthcare workers in rural China: a qualitative exploration of stakeholders' perceptions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Equitable access to basic public health services is a priority in China. However, primary healthcare workers' competence to deliver public health services is relatively poor because they lack professional training. Since the availability of web-based training has increased in China, the current study explored stakeholders' perceptions of a web-based training program on basic public health services to understand their thoughts, experiences, and attitudes about it.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six focus group discussions with primary healthcare workers and three with directors of township hospitals, county-level Health Bureaus, and county-level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were conducted in Yichang City during 2013. Semi-structured topic guides were used to facilitate qualitative data collection. Audio recordings of the sessions were transcribed verbatim and theme analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the study's participants, especially the village doctors, had insufficient knowledge of basic public health services. The existing training program for primary healthcare workers consisted of ineffective traditional face-to-face sessions and often posed accessibility problems for the trainees. Most of the study's participants had a positive attitude about web-based learning and expressed a strong desire to receive this novel training approach because of its flexibility and convenience. The perceived barriers to utilizing the web-based training method included poor computer literacy, lack of personal interaction, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of time and motivation. The facilitators of this approach included the training content applicability, the user-friendly and interactive learning format, and policy support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Web-based training on basic public health services is a promising option in rural China. The findings of the study will contribute knowledge to implementation of web-based training in similar settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhixia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xingxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yingxue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weirong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D019035:Rural Health Services