METHODS: A prospective, nonrandomized, pre- and posttest study was done among 124 medical interns in a private medical college during July-August 2019. A semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was prepared and filled by the interns in the pretest. Following the educational intervention, the same questionnaire was administered and posttest data were collected. The pre- and posttest results were expressed in frequency and percentage. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the change in the total mean score of knowledge using the e-learning tool following the dissemination of SDL modules.
RESULTS: The mean age of the interns was 22.82 ± 0.82 years. Of the total 124 interns, 60 (48.3%) had heard about the recent changes in RNTCP. The Internet (25.8%) and textbooks (23.4%) were the most common source of recent information regarding TB and RNTCP. The mean pretest score was 12.9 ± 3.08, which increased to 15.3 ± 2.62 during the posttest (z = -9.75, P < 0.05) following the intervention.
CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge regarding TB and RNTCP among the interns was inadequate. The usage of an e-learning tool \"WhatsApp\" was found to be effective in improving the knowledge in posttest as compared to pretest.