Getting The Healthcare Workforce Up To Speed On COVID-19 ASAP

The Challenge
The coronavirus pandemic places huge stresses on country governments to equip the health workforce with knowledge and tools to manage COVID-19, providing effective care while protecting themselves from infection. Yet the normal means of training, through workshops and live demonstrations, are themselves risk factors for spread of infection. 

Tech Care for All Approach
The Kenya Medical Association approached TC4A for help in developing and hosting comprehensive training of trainers on COVID-19 to reach all healthcare providers in Kenya. Together, the two organizations partnered with the Kenya Ministry of Health to prepare, deliver, record and produce a fully online training for trainers and providers nationwide. Created in a span of just 15 days, the training features  lessons prepared and delivered by leading Kenyan physicians and professors. It offers WHO-based guidance on diagnosis, case management and infection prevention plus referral mechanisms and data reporting. The course includes a mix of recorded videos in lecture style, videos of practical skills, and downloadable checklists, educational aids and reference materials. 

The Result
The week it debuted, 600 healthcare providers registered and viewed the course content.  Since then, it has been delivered to more than 6000 learners, helping ensure that prevention and care everywhere in the country meet the same clinical standards. Kenya has been successful in flattening the epidemic curve, successfully controlling COVID-19 cases and saving lives. As of October 1, deaths stood in the low 700s.