PCF5:On-line Training for Health Workers

Title of session
On-line Training for Health Workers

Session details

 * Date: Thursday 17 July 2008
 * Time: 14:00
 * Room: Clarke Hall

Session papers

 * Mr. Sunny Olatunbosun Banjoko, Knowledge and perception of telemedicine and eHealth by Nigerian healthcare practitioners (536)
 * Dr. Kirsten Greenop, Using information and communications technologies to learn at work: an evaluation of a pilot professional development system for health care professionals (87)
 * Ms. Jill Russell, The role of communities of practice in building capacity for shared learning for development: the case of an online postgraduate programme in international primary health care (322)
 * Dr. Syed Jamal Abdul Nasir Syed Mohamad, Implementing the flexible learning mode in Health Science programme at MARA University of Technology: a Malaysian experience (257)

Key Issues that arose in the session

 * The African experience (although not inappropriate to other countries), in a quote from Prof. Nsimbambe, PM of Uganda (first keynote): "a gross inadequacy of medical workers ... we need to develop human resources" Hence the timeliness of flexible learning for health professionals.


 * There is a need for official accreditation, integrating ODL into official CPD programmes if health professionals, with severe time constraints, are to complete programmes.


 * key issue 3

Points for future action (Policy, recommendations, commitments etc.)

 * Access to technology, bandwith and reliability of connections (and even power supplies) are still major problems in many countries.


 * It is important to find ways of enabling health workers, particularly in the least resourced countries and situations, to devote time to continuing their education. Linking in to professional bodies and formal CPD programmes will be useful, but are there other ideas?