Capacity building of health professionals in Guinea: a successful e-learning experience (2017-2021)

Background Strengthening the capacities of health professionals (HPs) in public health is a necessity in the context of recurrent epidemics in Africa. The objective of this study was to describe the process and results of an innovative online training program implemented in the post-Ebola context in Guinea between 2017 and 2021. Methods The courses were developed in French in 2017-2018 by the Maferinyah Training and Research Center in Guinea with technical support from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) of Antwerp (Belgium). The Moodle platform was used to locally manage and deliver these courses. A cross-sectional study using mixed research methods was carried out. Results Three courses of three months duration each (6 to 8 modules) were developed and delivered between 2018 and 2021 on primary health care (eSSP), management of sexual and reproductive health services (eSSR), and research methodology. The online training on the Moodle platform was followed by a face-to-face capacity-building workshop. Of 479 HPs from 13 nationalities enrolled in the courses, 68.1% (326/479) completed the training and 80.4% of them (262/326) validated it (54.7% among all registrants). The success rate of women (56.7%) was higher than that of men (54%) and remained higher among Guineans (55.3%) compared to foreigners (51.4%) but these differences were not statistically significant. The success rates for the eSSP (47.7%), eSSR (58.5%) and eMR (59.1%) courses were also comparable. The learner satisfaction score ranged from 60 to 100% for different aspects of the courses. Conclusions It is possible to offer online courses in a limited resource setting like Guinea. However, involving women in online training remains a challenge. Key messages It is possible to offer online courses in a limited resource setting like Guinea. Involvement of women in online training remains a challenge.

Medical students’ perception towards E-learning during COVID 19 pandemic in a high burden developing country

Background In High-income countries, many academic institutions are using E-learning during COVID 19 Pandemic. However, in limited-resource countries, like Sudan, shifting towards E-learning requires many adjustments to be made to make sure the E-learning is held in a proper manner, as best as possible. This study was undertaken to assess medical students’ perception towards implementing E-learning during COVID 19 Pandemic and to highlight for E-learning implementation in Sudan as an example of a limited-resource setting. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 10 and 25 of May 2020 among the undergraduate medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Sudan. The study used self-administered online-based questionnaire. E-mail and social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp were utilized to disseminate the questionnaire. Results The total numbers of 358 undergraduate medical students responded to the online survey questionnaire. The majority (87.7 %) of students agreed that the closure of the university is an essential decision to control the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Approximately two-thirds (64 %) of students perceived that E-learning is the best solution during COVID 19 lockdown. The level of medical students (Pre-clerkship and Clerkship) and place of residence had significant correlation (p-value < 0.05) with medical students opinion regards starting the E-learning. Internet bandwidth and connectivity limitation, unfamiliarity with E-learning system, technical support limitation and time flexibility in case of technical problems during online exams, and lack of face-to-face interaction were the factors considered by medical students to be against the E-learning implementation. Conclusions Most medical students had a positive perception of E-learning. However, there are many challenges considered as an inhibitory factor for utilizing electronic technologies for medical education. We recommend that challenges of E-learning in our limited-resource setting should be systematically evaluated and that effective strategies should be developed to overcome their inhibitory effects.