About the Fetal Monitoring programme

eFM is a comprehensive web-based resource developed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives in partnership with Health Education England elearning for healthcare. Originally launched in 2011, the resource was revised and updated in 2022 to ensure that the knowledge sessions continue to remain clinically accurate and up-to-date from a patient safety perspective.

eFM will teach and assess learners in all aspects of intrapartum fetal monitoring and is directed at both obstetricians and midwives in training as well as those who have completed their training.

eFM is split into four learning paths:

• Level 1: Pathophysiology – Normal Fetal Heart Rate Pattern
• Level 2: Risk Factors for IP Fetal Hypoxia
• Level 3: Pathophysiology – Complex Fetal Heart Rate Pattern
• Level 4: Complex Pregnancies

Each learning path consists of a group of knowledge-based, interactive tutorials and learners are required to complete a summative assessment, with a pass mark of 80%, to progress on to the following learning path’s assessment.

CPD points

The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has agreed that CPD credits can be earned for the online materials in the eFM programme  as a Formal Learning Event (FLE) at the rate of 1 CPD credit up to 3 hours of learning or 2 CPD credits for a full day.

Additionally 1 CPD credit is claimable for reflecting on the activity and 1 or 2 CPD credits for an action following the activity depending if the action is simple or complex. To claim credits for an action, the individual needs to demonstrate how they have applied their learning to their practice, the service they provide and/or the potential impact of the learning.

A certificate of completion, which details your learning history, is available in pdf format for you to download or print out.

Reviewers

Rachna Bahl – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust

Christine Harding – Consultant Midwife, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading

Ruth-Anna Macqueen – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Venkat Raman – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Southend University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Wendy Randall – Consultant Midwife Project Lead; Avoiding Brain injury in Childbirth (ABC); RCM/RCOG/THIS Institute collaboration

Philip Steer – Professor Emeritus, Imperial College London

How to access

In order to access the Fetal Monitoring programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.

Register >

To view the Fetal Monitoring programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.

View >

NHS healthcare staff in England

The Fetal Monitoring programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this elearning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.

Further details are available here.

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access elfh Hub, you may be able to access the service by creating an OpenAthens account.

To check whether or not you qualify for free access via OpenAthens, you can view the eligibility criteria and register on the ‘OpenAthens’ portal.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the Fetal Monitoring programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

How to license

In the event that you do not qualify for free access to the Fetal Monitoring programme, you are able to license access through eIntegrity, a community-interest company established for this purpose.
You can check whether or not you qualify for free access by clicking on the ‘Register’ button above.

For more information on the licensing options available for the Fetal Monitoring programme, please visit the eIntegrity website.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.