Needs Assessment and Best Practices for Digital Trainings for Health Professionals in Ethiopia Using the RE-AIM Framework: COVID-19, Case Study

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the implementation science outcomes of a COVID-19 e-health educational intervention in Ethiopia targeting healthcare workers via the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adaption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework. Methods: A series of three one-hour medical seminars focused on COVID-19 prevention and treatment education were conducted between May-August 2020. Educational content was built from medical sites previously impacted by COVID-19. Post-seminar evaluation information was collected from physician and other participants by a survey instrument. Cross-sectional evaluation results are reported here by RE-AIM constructs. Results: The medical seminars reached 324 participants. Key success metrics include that 90% reporting the information delivered in a culturally sensitive/tailored manner (effectiveness), 80% reporting that they planned to share the information presented with someone else (adoption and implementation), and 64% reporting using information presented in their daily clinical responsibilities 6 months after the first medical seminars (maintenance). Conclusion: Grounded in a theoretical framework and following evidenced-based best practices, this intervention advances the field of dissemination and implementation science by demonstrating how to transition healthcare training and delivery from an in-person to digital medium in low-resource settings like Ethiopia.

RE-AIM applied to a primary care workforce training for rural providers and nurses: the Department of Veterans Affairs' Rural Women's Health Mini-Residency

“…RE-AIM has only recently been more widely suggested as a framework for health care workforce training programs (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Most RE-AIM literature in health care looks at patient education programs instead.…”

“…Among individual examples of RE-AIM used to assess training programs (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22), evaluators turned to KAPS measures and participant intentions to reflect the Effectiveness of their programs. Programs defined RE-AIM components differently.…”

“…RE-AIM has been used in diverse contexts over the past two decades (7)(8)(9)(10)(11) with increasing frequency. However, while other frameworks have been applied to the assessment of health care workforce training programs (12)(13)(14)(15), RE-AIM has only recently been more widely used as a framework for such programs (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). The present paper seeks to expand the literature in this emerging area.…”

Digital health in the era of COVID-19: Reshaping the next generation of healthcare

“…The study collected post-seminar evaluation data from the participants using a questionnaire. The findings demonstrated the promising potential of transitioning healthcare training and delivery from an in-person to a digital medium in low-resource settings like Ethiopia ( 17 ). COVID-19 had a significant burden on patients, healthcare providers, and the healthcare system in general in Ethiopia, where the Ethiopian government and its partners intervened to sustain healthcare services ( 18 – 20 ).…”

Evaluating the Demand for Nucleic Acid Testing in Different Scenarios of COVID-19 Transmission: A Simulation Study

“…Conducting a needs assessment emerges as an effective strategy to streamline resource allocation. By gauging anticipated medical and health requirements, a timely resource allocation plan can be devised to prevent the misuse or scarcity of resources [ 9 ]. Nevertheless, the fluctuation of virus strains and the adjustment of prevention and control strategies will impact the incidence of infections, subsequently influencing the demand for resources [ 10 ].…”