Abstract:

Introduction:
Thalassotherapy uses the healing potential of the sea climate, seawater, sunbaths, sea air, sea products (seeweads and peloids). The origin of the name thalassotherapy is from the Greek nouns Thalassa (sea) and therapeia (treatment). Bulgaria has an important tradition in balneotherapy and thalassotherapy.
The introduction of Thalassotherapy in the process of education in our country was based on the classic traditions of Bulgarian balneological school.
Current article debates some contemporaneous aspects of the education in the field of thalassotherapy and its place in the educational plan of students from the professional fields of Medicine, Public Health and Health Care.

Methodology:
Our goal was to prepare an e-book on Thalassotherapy and to evaluate the efficacy of its application on the level of theoretical knowledge and practical skills of our students and trainees in the rehabilitation field.
The e-book contains basic notions of thalassotherapy – definitions; domains; physiological effects of the seawater, sunbaths, respiratory exercises at the seaside, compresses with different types of peloids (sea mud, sea lye) and algae (brown, red-brown, green, blue); methods of application; indications and contraindications. We introduced in the educational programme and in the e-book some modern clinical aspects of thalassotherapy in the fields of neurological, neuro-surgical, rhеumatological, orthopedic and traumatological rehabilitation, including algorithms of education of respective patients in auto-control during these procedures. Special attention was paid to the role of thalassotherapy for amelioration of the quality of life of healthy people, of different types of patients and persons with disabilities. We present some results of our own modest clinical experience of 30+ years in this field. We prepared a website presentation of the e-book.

The e-book was included in the process of education of different types of undergraduate and post-graduate students: bachelors and masters in “Physiotherapy” (“Kinesitherapy” in our country), bachelors and masters in „Medical Rehabilitation and Ergotherapy“, masters in „Medical Rehabilitation and Balneology“, masters in “Medical Cosmetics”, medical doctors – trainees in „Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine“; medical specialists and health professionals - participants in long life learning (LLL) courses.
We prepared PC-based tests for assessment of professional skills and we evaluated the level of theoretical knowledge and practical skills of responders. We tested too the level of satisfaction of students and trainees.

Results:
The qualitative and quantitative analysis of results of the assessment tests demonstrated a significant amelioration of competences of responders, applying e-learning and using the complete version (theoretical and practical) of the e-book. The opinion and the level of satisfaction of students and trainees was positive.

Discussion:
Authors discuss the role of e-learning and e-books for the acceleration of the professional competence. We explain traditions of Bulgarian school of balneology and thalassotherapy and its positive role in the development of physical prevention and rehabilitation in our country.

Conclusion:
We emphasize on the significance of the education in thalassotherapy in the minimal level of competences of all actual and future members in the multi-disciplinary multi-professional rehabilitation team.

Keywords:

E-book, education, thalassotherapy, rehabilitation.