Evaluating the Effects of Training to Improve Teaching Skills of Health Sciences Educators in Sudan.

Purpose: This evaluation draws evidence on the outcome of learning and teaching courses that were offered to a number of teaching staff (referred to as trainers) of the Academies of Health Sciences, Midwifery Schools and Centre for Continuous Professional Development in Sudan. Methods: The evaluation was a cross-sectional, institution-based study conducted from October 2017 to January 2018 involving qualitative design. It consisted of direct observations of teaching, focus group discussions with students and semi-structured interviews with managers of teaching institutions. Results: The findings of direct observations revealed that the learning and teaching course has positive effects on the trainers' ability to have clear, well-stated learning objectives; their presentation skills; and their use of different teaching methods. Moreover, the observations showed that trainers who attended the learning and teaching course now encourage the students to ask questions and are providing them with timely feedback about their learning. As students were the main beneficiaries for improved teaching, focus group discussions have shown that students were generally satisfied with trainers' performance regarding the stated learning outcomes, curricula design, use of a range of teaching methods and assessment methods. During in-depth interviews, managers of training institutions expressed satisfaction with the trainers' performance regarding the development of training materials, learners' assessment, supervision, and evaluation of training. Conclusion: Short courses on teaching and learning were a valuable investment for trainers, students, and the overall performance of health sciences training institutions. The evaluation revealed that trainers were able to apply what they have learnt. Moreover, students and managers noticed improvement in the performance of trainers in teaching, course delivery and assessment. It is recommended to expand, cascade and institutionalize the short courses on learning and teaching to all states to improve the capabilities of trainers, which would eventually contribute to the production of competent allied health professions in Sudan.

Global vaccine action plan lessons learned I: Recommendations for the next decade.

The Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011-2020 (GVAP) was developed to realize the ambitions of the Decade of Vaccines - that all individuals and communities enjoy lives free from vaccine-preventable diseases. It included a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation/accountability framework to assess progress towards global targets with recommendations for corrective actions. While many of the GVAP targets are very unlikely to be met by the end of 2020, substantial progress has nevertheless been made, establishing a strong foundation for a successor global immunization strategy, the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030). The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization has made a series of recommendations to ensure that the lessons learned from GVAP inform the development and implementation of IA2030.

Priorities for primary health care research in Qassim, central Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the major research priorities in the field of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional survey including academicians, researchers, and PHC program managers in Qassim. A self-administered questionnaire was used as the survey instrument. A scale of 1-5 was given for prioritizing the health issues (5=highest priority; 1=lowest priority). A list of PHC research topics including prevalent health issues addressed by PHC programs was provided to the respondents. Responses were collected from April 2012 to June 2012, and the data was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 101 eligible participants were invited to participate in the survey; out of these 85 (84.2%) responded. Diabetes mellitus (4.82+/-0.44) was the top priority, followed by hypertension (4.67+/-0.54), and bronchial asthma (4.35+/-0.79). Other priority areas included child health, maternal health, and quality of care. Leishmaniasis and foodborne illness were the lowest priorities. CONCLUSION: This study identified the priority areas that need to be focused on for PHC research in Qassim. The survey lays a foundation upon which we can build future research.

Baseline burden of rotavirus disease in Sudan to monitor the impact of vaccination.

BACKGROUND: In 2011, Sudan became the first low-income country in Africa to introduce a rotavirus vaccine. Prevaccine baseline data on rotavirus disease burden are crucial for monitoring the impact of this new vaccine program. METHODS: We conducted active, hospital-based surveillance for rotavirus disease at 8 regional public hospitals in Sudan using a standard protocol recommended by the World Health Organization for 2 full years immediately preceding vaccine introduction. Cases were children <5 years hospitalized with gastroenteritis, defined as acute onset of 3 or more loose stools or 2 or more episodes of vomiting in a 24-hour period. Stool specimens from cases were tested for rotavirus using a commercially available assay. RESULTS: From June 2009 to May 2011, rotavirus was detected in 3985 (36%) of 10,953 children hospitalized for gastroenteritis, with detection rates ranging from 25% to 48% at the 8 hospitals. Approximately 61% of the rotavirus hospitalizations occurred before 1 year of age and most (91%) occurred before 2 years of age. Rotavirus was detected year-round in Sudan with peaks during March to May and November to December. Applying rotavirus prevalence to national estimates of diarrhea events, we calculated 9800 deaths, 22,800 hospitalizations and 55,400 outpatient visits related to rotavirus per year among children <5 years of age in Sudan. CONCLUSIONS: The high burden of rotavirus disease in Sudan indicates that the recently implemented vaccination program should substantially improve child health in Sudan. This nationwide rotavirus surveillance system will be an important platform for assessing the benefits and value of rotavirus vaccine in a developing country setting.