Placing learning needs in context: Distance learning for clinical officers in Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Poor public health indicators in Tanzania have led to the upgrading of nursing and clinical personnel who currently have just core training. Clinical officers (COs) have 3 years training in basic and applied medicine and are responsible for healthcare of large and dispersed rural populations. Aims: UNESCO-Wales has funded colleagues in Wales (UK) to assist the upgrade of COs. An inquiry into their learning needs and the Tanzanian context has produced a framework for design of a module for COs on sexually transmissible infections and HIV & AIDS by distance learning. Methods: Face-to-face discussions were held with the Ministry of Health, healthcare workers, educators and administrators in Tanzania; a review of training documents was carried out; and a follow-up questionnaire issued to COs. Results: The discussions and review highlighted teacher-centred approaches, and management, infrastructure and resources obstacles to curriculum change. Principal learning needs of COs around STIs were: counselling, syndromic management, drugs management, laboratory diagnosis, health education, resources, staffing and service morale. Conclusions: Placing learning needs in context in dialogue with Tanzanian colleagues was an advance on simple transfer of educational technologies and expertise. The inquiry resulted in a draft study guide and resources pack that were positively reviewed by Tanzanian tutors. Management and resources issues raised problems of sustainability in the module implementation.

Interprofessional Education for Whom? — Challenges and Lessons Learned from Its Implementation in Developed Countries and Their Application to Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

“…The schedules of professional schools are tight, faculty members are limited, and the number of students tends to be very large. IPE should take advantage of the case studies that successfully generated interest among the participants, and most importantly, aim to solve health problems pertinent to the area [66], [76]. Interactions among professionals may be accompanied by some conflict.…”

Blended learning across universities in a South–North–South collaboration: a case study

“…BL has been used successfully in continuing medical education and public health professional training [18–21], but not in the HSSR disciplines [22]. The African Regional Capacity Development for Health Systems and Services Research (ARCADE HSSR) consortium decided to experiment with this method to build research capacity through engaging international academic collaborations and developing blended courses on HSSR methods.…”

Implementation of distance learning IMCI training in rural districts of Tanzania

“…These challenges may explain why there were mixed preferences for standard and distance IMCI, with some people expressing preference for distance IMCI because of its relatively lower cost and its ability to offer better work-study balance and critical thinking, while others preferred the standard IMCI because of the high possibility of knowledge retention. Most of these issues have been documented as common in other distance learning training models focusing on HCWs in Tanzania and other low-income settings [27][28][29]. Taken together, these findings indicate that, although DIMCI may be less expensive than standard IMCI, there is a need to address the challenges of DIMCI by considering the technological, personal and coordination barriers that HCWs in rural areas continue to face to maximize its success.…”