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For those diagnosed with a chronic condition at an early age, such as Cystic Fibrosis, transition from a paediatric care facility to an adult orientated facility is often inevitable. Patients can feel anxious and nervous as they are unfamiliar with their new surroundings and healthcare team. Research has shown that these symptoms would be reduced if patients were given the opportunity to meet their new healthcare team and become familiar with the new process and surroundings prior to transitioning. This research explores the possibility of using Virtual Reality as a means of complementing the transition process. By allowing patients to explore and learn of their new surroundings and meet their healthcare team virtually prior to transitioning, it is anticipated that their will be an improvement on patient education and experience. A 3D model of the Adult CF Day Unit, Specialist Inpatient Unit, and other common testing labs is created for exploration in the Unreal Engine 4. This 3D environment is then prepared for use in a HTC Vive. The environment also includes interest points, audio, and welcome video introducing the adult CF healthcare team. Throughout the development process this system is tested with five technical researchers. The feedback received from these evaluators primarily focused on the use of a UI and other features such as a bread-crumb trail and audio to assist in the educational content at interest points. This feedback has now been implemented in preparation for patient testing. It is anticipated that this will enhance the patients experience and educate them on the transition process.

Background: Patient education is an integral part of management and care. For adults with Cystic Fibrosis, new procedures and devices may arise. Studies have shown that patients forget between 40%-80% provided during a consultation, hence other accessible platforms for disseminating this knowledge is required. Aim: This paper aims to outline the design, creation and evaluation of three patient e-learning tools. These tools are available online so that they can be accessed by patients via bedside tablets in a hospital ward and personal devices. This research will then investigate usage data from those users accessing the tools in a hospital and non-hospital context. Methodologies: Three education tools were developed which focus on Portacaths, Gastrostomy Tubes, and Bronchoscopies. All educational multimedia was developed and validated by the Cork CF Multidisciplinary team. The information is presented to the user in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) format, where users can navigate through content via buttons with a series of commonly asked questions. These questions are identified by CF nurse specialists with over 25 years’ experience in educating CF adults on these devices and procedures. The web tools are developed using HTML, CSS, AJAX, PHP and JavaScript. Once the user visits an e-learning tool, a unique identifier is generated and stored in the browser's local storage as well as a text file on the server. Each button click and respective time stamp is then stored in the text file. This data is then analysed to determine the most frequently viewed content as well as time spent viewing content and visiting the e-learning tool. Results: Overall, all three e-learning tools were accessed more frequently by personal devices. Generally, users tended to spend less time using the e-learning tools via the bedside tablet. There was also a tendency for users to visit more general information on the bedside tablets, whereas users who access the e-learning tools from personal devices tended to spend more time exploring the web tools and focused more on care information. Conclusion: Patient education is an integral part of care. From the pilot study conducted by this research, it would appear that patients exhibit different motivations when visiting e-learning material in a hospital and non-hospital setting. As such it is advised that e-learning content is made available to patients in each context.

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common life limiting genetic disease affecting Caucasians. The life expectancy of this cohort has increased and is predicted to reach retirement age. As most CF patients are diagnosed from birth, they undergo educational and management programs throughout their lives. However numerous studies have identified various knowledge gaps. This paper presents a scoping literature review of the available educational interventions for adult CF patients. This review follows the framework as outlined by Arksey et al. [9]. A search string is entered into four databases and the resulting literature is downloaded into the academic reference manager software, Mendeley version 1.16.1. The manuscripts are then subjected to title, abstract, and introduction refinement. The remaining manuscripts are then reviewed under the following headings: 1) Aims/Objective, 2) Patient Demographic, 3) Educational Focus, 4) Research Type Conducted, 5) Methodologies, 6) Results, and 7) Author Noted Limitations. Of the 3649 manuscripts, only eight remained after the refinement stages. A significant amount of the papers that were excluded focused on CF pediatric patients only. Of the remaining papers, four manuscripts focused solely on CF adults. Seven of the papers identified a range of issues with CF education, including anxiety, knowledge gaps, and a lack of educational teams. Five papers introduced an educational intervention, only one was for CF adults only. Two of the interventions were ICT based. Of the manuscripts, one intervention that targeted both children and adults was reported as being implemented into the hospital services long term. From the final papers reviewed, it is apparent that there appears to be an issue with adult CF education and knowledge gaps. With CF survival rates rising and a new aging CF population emerging, there is a need for educational programs and interventions to meet the changing needs of the CF adult population.

Despite the growth of e-learning, its methods have yet to be incorporated into all educational modules within the discipline of medicine. As such, its integration into some educational methods for the study of complex diseases may benefit both students and trainees. In particular, the strategies demonstrated in blended, multimedia and web-based interactive platforms may enhance its overall communication. Cystic Fibrosis is a complex genetic disease which affects various parts of the body. These effects prove difficult to communicate through the written form alone and visual media elements are often incorporated to encourage a better understanding. However this foundational understanding of the disease has the potential to be enhanced further through the utilisation of e-learning techniques. In this paper, current content and resources in the field of e-learning for the disease Cystic Fibrosis and other complex lung diseases are compared and interrogated for possible areas of improvement and expansion. It was found that there was a lack of e-learning visualisers and simulators that demonstrated the mucus effects caused by Cystic Fibrosis within the lungs. As such, a Cystic Fibrosis visualiser and simulator was created using both 3D and web technologies and presented to medical students for evaluation. It was found that the visualiser aided in initial primary understanding of the mucus effects on the lungs, however, it was also found that it could not be used for further advanced teaching without improvements. In this way, it was established that the visualiser, in its simplicity, could be used to educate patients and families about Cystic Fibrosis mucus effects on the lungs.