DISTANCE LEARNING AS AN INNOVATIVE FORM OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES IN HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION

In the article, the life and creative path of the well-known psychiatrist and founder of the Platonov physician Ivan Yakovlevich Platonov during the transitional period of the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is considered. The peculiarity of the research is that the microhistorical approach, the history of everyday life and mentality are integrated in the analysis of the subject. Some aspects of this topic are poorly covered in historiography, but the availability of a sufficient source base makes it possible to clarify not only the biographical data of the person being studied, but also how he was, his aspirations and aspirations, his views on the world and his role in it. The author for the first time fills in some gaps in the biography of a psychiatrist, draws attention to his mentality, attitude to the humanization of the treatment of patients, business activity, the specifics of the work of the main brainchild Platonov his private clinic, personnel policy, patient contingent, socio-political and scientific activity of the doctor, his connections in the medical environment. It is concluded that although I. Ya. Platonov was able to successfully fit into the system of capitalist relations, the consciousness of the entrepreneur-entrepreneur, a peasant, did not become completely bourgeois, and in his system of values, public needs took precedence over personal needs. The article presents the experience of implementing distance technologies in postgraduate education of doctors at the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology of Higher State Educational Establishment of Ukraine «Ukrainian Medical Stomatological Academy», which promotes the continuous medical education, is one of the mechanisms for improving the quality of professional training and has economic efficiency. Under the conditions of intensive development of information technologies, further perspectives have been considered. pre-certification upgrade cycles. The department conducts training courses for specialists of Poltava region: the pre-certification training (PAT) for doctors majoring in specialty ―Infectious Diseases‖, two cycles of thematic upgrade (TU) − ―Topical issues of infectology. Modern Approaches to Specific Immunoprophylaxis‖ for specialists in ―General Practice − Family Medicine‖, ―Internal Diseases‖, ―Infectious Diseases‖ and ―Problems of HIV / AIDS, Parenteral Hepatitis and other Modern Infections in the Dentist‘s Practice‖ for students majoring in Dentistry. The field TU cycles are implemented, including the regional hospitals of remote districts of Poltava region − Kremenchuk, Pyriatyn, Lubny and others. Taking this into account, introducing the elements of distance technologies into the educational process plays an important role.

In the article, the life and creative path of the wellknown psychiatrist and founder of the Platonov physician Ivan Yakovlevich Platonov during the transitional period of the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is considered. The peculiarity of the research is that the microhistorical approach, the history of everyday life and mentality are integrated in the analysis of the subject. Some aspects of this topic are poorly covered in historiography, but the availability of a sufficient source base makes it possible to clarify not only the biographical data of the person being studied, but also how he was, his aspirations and aspirations, his views on the world and his role in it. The author for the first time fills in some gaps in the biography of a psychiatrist, draws attention to his mentality, attitude to the humanization of the treatment of patients, business activity, the specifics of the work of the main brainchild Platonovhis private clinic, personnel policy, patient contingent, sociopolitical and scientific activity of the doctor, his connections in the medical environment. It is concluded that although I. Ya. Platonov was able to successfully fit into the system of capitalist relations, the consciousness of the entrepreneurentrepreneur, a peasant, did not become completely bourgeois, and in his system of values, public needs took precedence over personal needs.
Under the modern conditions of reforming the medical industry in Ukraine and bringing it in line with international educational standards, the continuous professional development of doctors in the course of their professional life is an important direction of medical education. Increasing the doctor's level of education as a factor in their competitiveness guarantees quality care in accordance with the development of science and new medical technologies [1,2,6]. The doctor in the 21st century is a person who has mastered modern information technologies and constantly improves his/her professional level.
Acquiring new knowledge and skills, practically useful and applied in the work in the era of information society significantly expands the possibilities of self-fulfillment and promotes career growth.
The concept of continuous professional development of physicians requires the use of new effective teaching methods. In Ukraine, the search for advanced methods of improving the professional qualifications of doctors with the use of the latest technologies is in progress. In the last decades, a promising direction in the development of the system for improving the professional qualifications of physicians is the distance form of training (including the on-line mode), through which it is possible to increase professional qualifications without interrupting the work process, that is, it is maximally accessible to each specialist [2,6].
Distance learning is a form of training using the computer and telecommunication technologies that provide interactive communication between teachers and participants at different stages of learning and independent work with materials from the information network. In the modern world, distance learning acquires the status of major form of postgraduate education: the experience of developed countries convincingly testifies the benefits of distance training of doctors on the basis of network technologies and using the on-line mode [3,5,7]. Progressiveness of training and professional qualification is determined not only by their quality, but also by efficiency, and in this way, modern means of informatization create the extensive space of opportunities. The advantages of distance learning are as follows: flexibility, convenience, economic efficiency, the possibility of simultaneous use of a large amount of educational information by any number of participants, the absence of geographical boundaries for education [1,7].
Research purposeto analyze the issues of introducing the innovative technologies into the system of postgraduate education of doctors at the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology.
Material and methods. The research material is the distance learning form in postgraduate education at the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology.
The process of introducing information technology into medical education has a complicated history, since in the medical world there is a persuasion that it is not possible to teach a doctor at a distance, that is, remotely, with the help of electronic technologies: -the doctor can only be trained at a patient's bedside‖. In 1997, the World Health Organization established a new direction − -Medical Telematics‖, which was described as -activities, services and systems related to the delivery of health care at a distance through information and communication technologies and aimed at promoting development of the world health care, epidemiological surveillance and medical care, as well as management training and research in the field of medicine‖ [3,4]. Among the main components of medical telematics, there are: telemedicine, telematics in the field of medical research, telematics in the field of management of medical services and proper medical education. All four areas are closely interrelated, therefore, when working in the content field of one of them, the physician is faced by a need to solve the tasks of others. After the world community's recognition of the important changes that have taken place, the skepticism of the medical world towards information technologies has shaken. Telemedicine is particularly effective in distance education. The possibilities of telemedicine include online teleconferences, work with interactive educational servers and sources of information on the Internet and other computer networks (medical libraries, specialized databases, etc.), consulting specific patients. Interactive medical conferences in real time are conducted for educational purposes, namely: distance lectures, seminars, group sessions, discussions, scientific discussions, the exchange of organizational and methodological information. Such modern software tools and methods of work give an opportunity to solve pedagogical tasks in a new way: to develop the doctor's ability to elicit information from various sources, to process it using the most up-to-date computer technologies, to store and transfer it at any distance; to instill real research skills by modeling practical situations, solving problems of all kinds and nature; create networks of distance learning for students, interns, improve the skills of practical health workers; to provide operational and advisory assistance in the process of medical work; to conduct conciliums; to quickly exchange information, ideas, plans for joint projects, thus expanding their worldview and raising their cultural level.
Undoubtedly, the use of these innovative technologies during the educational process in the system of postgraduate education of doctors promotes their further professional development and improvement as specialists [1,2,6]. However, it should be noted that distance learning in medical education should act as an auxiliary means of training, not as an alternative one, which would replace full-time or part-time forms.
Distant forms of education at the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology of Higher State Educational Establishment of Ukraine «Ukrainian Medical Stomatological Academy» are used when working with interns majoring in specialty -Infectious diseases‖, cadets of pre-certification cycles and thematic upgrade qualification cycles.
The department conducts training courses for specialists of Poltava region: the pre-certification training (PAT) for doctors majoring in specialty -Infectious Diseases‖, two cycles of thematic upgrade (TU) − -Topical issues of infectology. Modern Approaches to Specific Immunoprophylaxis‖ for specialists in -General Practice − Family Medicine‖, -Internal Diseases‖, -Infectious Diseases‖ and -Problems of HIV / AIDS, Parenteral Hepatitis and other Modern Infections in the Dentist's Practice‖ for students majoring in Dentistry. The field TU cycles are implemented, including the regional hospitals of remote districts of Poltava region − Kremenchuk, Pyriatyn, Lubny and others. Taking this into account, introducing the elements of distance technologies into the educational process plays an important role.
In 2012, during the field cycle of TU in accordance with the thematic plan, the online mode of education was introduced for the first time for the course of cadets and all interested participants in the form of webinars (Web-based seminar is a modern multimedia tool for organizing the on-online training and business communication via the Internet, a form of video conferences). The doctors had the opportunity to hear and see the lecturer, follow the presentation of the lecture material, ask questions and get answers while staying in the lecture hall at the place of work. There was also a discussion of clinical cases online. The use of elements of distance learning allowed to reduce both the financial and time expenditures, attract more doctors, not only cadets of TU, improve the quality of education through the use of modern innovative technologies, inform the medical community of the region about new forms of education. Subsequently, this form of training became an integral part of postgraduate education at the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology. In the long run is the consolidation of the acquired experience, introduction of other forms of distance education (master classes, practical classes and individual telemedicine consultations, etc.), organization of video conferences with international participation.The introduction of distance learning is an integrated and multi-stage process, which consists in creating at the department of a personal educational and methodical Web-site with electronic courses, electronic textbooks, complexes of teaching manuals, forum, library of lectures, educational films, etc. This process is also labor-intensive, since it involves the cooperation of the teacher and doctors who are studying in a completely different informational and subject environment. Innovative activity requires from the teacher not only special knowledge, skills and abilities, but also the possession of systemic thinking, developed ability to work, formed and conscious readiness for innovation.
Today the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology has a computer class, equipped with modern equipment and high-speed connection with the Internet; controlling computer programs, certified test programs on discipline, approved by the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine. The Department's Web-page at the Academy's Web-site represents the postgraduate education in two blocks − informational and training. The information block presents the schedule, calendar and thematic plans of classes with interns and cadets, the list of practical skills, compulsory for mastering, questions and tasks for intermediate tests and final examinations, criteria for assessing the knowledge. The training block of the Web-site contains methodological materials for classes, multimedia presentations of lectures, test banks, developed by the staff of the department in all sections of the discipline, tasks for preparation to the integrated exam «Krok-3. General medical training» and qualification tests on the computer program -Attestation‖, developed by Kiev Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education and approved by the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine, which can be used both in the mode of training and in the testing mode. Moreover, the on-line page contains study guides and textbooks on infectious diseases, composed by the staff of the Department. Hence, interns and cadets obtain additional opportunities to prepare for exams and tests online.

Conclusion
Thus, the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology actively implements distance learning forms in the postgraduate education of doctors, which promotes the continuous medical education. The distance learning is one of the mechanisms for improving the quality of professional activities which has economic efficiency.