Using ICTs and Mobile Technologies - the Twinning Center Experience in Africa Using ICTs and Mobile Technologies - the Twinning Center Experience in Africa

Using ICTs and Mobile Technologies - the Twinning Center

Experience in Africa

HIV/AIDS Twinning Center www.TwinningAgainstAIDS.org

Sailas Nyareza and Kelly WolfeHIV/AIDS Twinning Center

American International Health Alliance

The HIV/AIDS Twinning Center Launched in 2004 by the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) and HRSA to support PEPFAR programs.

AIHA was founded in 1992 by a broad coalition of healthcare delivery associations and the USG to create health sector twinning partnerships to strengthen human and organizational capacity in post cold war Europe and Eurasia. The Twinning Center utilizes a volunteer-driven, peer-to-peer “twinning” methodology refined by AIHA over nearly two decades of practical implementation in more than 150 partnerships in 33 countries.

Currently, the Twinning Center manages programs in10 countries: Botswana * Ethiopia * Kenya

Mozambique * Namibia * Nigeria Russia * South Africa * Tanzania * Zambia

Learning Resources Program: builds institutional capacity to access, utilize and evaluate evidence-based information and practice.



Program Objectives

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The Learning Resources Program HIV/AIDS Learning Resource Centers

E-Knowledge Portal

Distance Learning

Mobile Technologies

Telemedicine and mHealth

Information Literacy Program

Learning Resources Program presence in Africa

• Zambia -18 LRCs• Ethiopia - 4 LRCs & Drug

Information Center• Nigeria - 2 LRCs• Namibia - 1 LRC• Botswana - 1 LRC• Tanzania – Social Work

Knowledge Hub• South Africa – 1 LRC &

mLearning projects

27 Learning Resource Centers, Knowledge Hub, mLearning & Information Literacy programs

Program Objectives

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To build institutional capacity to access,

evaluate, and utilize up-to-date online and offline

healthcare knowledge resources.

To foster professional communication and knowledge sharing platforms among

healthcare workers and institutions designed to improve the quality of

patient care, support peer networking, and encourage cross-institutional

collaboration.

To promote evidence-based practice through the

institutional review of current clinical standards

and the use of point-of-care applications for clinical

decision support.

Objective 1

Objective 3

Objective 2

Learning Resources Program Objectives

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• Dynamic web portal hosted by COSTECH (Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology)

• Information exchange, knowledge sharing and online communities for the Emerging Schools of Social Work and the profession in Tanzania

• Developed by AIHA & Social Work partners in TZ

http://www.kiota.or.tz/

• Introduction to evidence-based practice• How to keep updated with professional

information (social work & medical)• Developing patient education materials• How to be a successful distance learner

3 week courses via email

Distance Learning courses

Participants receive tutorials and assignments via email. Learner support is provided via email and Skype. Participants share ideas during the 3-week period and even continue to interact after the course.

The next phase will provide these courses on Moodle Learning Management System.

Mobile Technologies

• More than half of Africa’s one billion population have a mobile phone

• Africa became the world’s second most connected region after Asia in late 2011, with 616 million mobile subscribers

• The prices of smartphones and tablets are going down significantly

• Mobile operators are Africa’s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

PubMed for Handheldspubmedhh.nlm.nih.gov

go.usa.gov/xFb

Distance learning course for Clinical Associates using their

smartphones

Accessing clinical practice guidelines

The whole reference section can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet for offline access

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University of Pretoria’s Tembisa Clinical Learning Center

• South African clinical practice guidelines on HIV/AIDS available to Clinical Associates at the point-of-care using the tablets

• Medical apps installed – Medscape, Skyscape, Lexicomp allowing offline access to clinical reference resources

• Tablets integrated in learning programs

Health Information Literacy programCourse to enable individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." [American Library Association, 2004]

Capacity building of our Clinical Associate partners in South Africa to deliver a focused information literacy program for the Clinical Associate students – University of Pretoria

Technical support in incorporating a new module on use of smartphones and tablets for accessing and sharing medical information

Similar program is now starting at the Polytechnic of Namibia, School of Health and Applied Sciences

Thank you!!


Sailas NyarezaKelly Wolfe

HIV/AIDS Twinning CenterAmerican International Health Alliance

1250 Eye Street, NW, Suite 350Washington, DC 20005Tel: +1-202-789-1136

Email: [email protected]: [email protected]

Documents

Using ICTs and Mobile Technologies - the Twinning Center Experience in Africa Using ICTs and Mobile Technologies - the Twinning Center Experience in Africa