Improving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Knowledge and Skills to Develop Health Research Capacity in Kenya.

Objectives Information and communication technology (ICT) tools are increasingly important for clinical care and international research. Many technologies would be particularly useful for healthcare workers in resource-limited settings; however, these individuals are the least likely to utilize ICT tools due tolack of knowledge and skills necessary to use them. Our program aimed to train researchers in low-resource settings on using ICT tools and to understand how different didactic modalities build knowledge and skills in this area. Methods We conducted a tiered, blended learning program for researchers in Kenya on three areas of ICT: geographic information systems, data management, and communication tools. Each course included three tiers: online courses, skills workshops, and mentored projects. Concurrently, a training of trainers course was taught to ensure sustainable ongoing training. A mixed qualitative and quantitative survey was conducted at the end of each training to assess knowledge and skill acquisition. Results Course elements that incorporated local examples and hands-on skill building activities were most valuable. Discussion boards were sometimes distracting, depending on multiple factors. Mentored projects were most useful when there were clear expectations, pre-existing projects, and clear timelines. Discussion Training in the use of ICT tools is highly valued among researchers in low-income settings, particularly when it includes hands-on skill-building and local examples. Our students demonstrated acquisition of new skills and felt these skills to be valuable in their workplaces. Conclusions Further training in ICT skills should be considered in other low-resource settings using our program as a foundational model.

Learning is different on the Web: a theory-based course redesign effort.

There has been recent growth in professional clinical informatics education delivered via distance learning. In some instances the instructional design model is to simply port the classroom to the web. Given the unique capabilities and constraints inherent to distance learning, we elected to redesign our introductory informatics course building on a well-studied andragogical design model (AMIGO3) specifically designed for the distance learning environments.

Low-bandwidth, low-cost telemedicine consultations in rural family practice.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine, based on the use of interactive video consultations, is being used more commonly in rural settings. This development is potentially important to rural patients because there are fewer physicians, particularly specialist physicians, in rural areas. Declining costs of telemedicine equipment and transmission have created increased access to these technologies for rural family physicians and their patients. METHODS: This study considers satisfaction levels of rural family physicians, academic-based specialists, and rural patients in 130 consultations between rural physicians, rural patients, and urban academic specialists. To increase the practicability for rural use, low-cost equipment and low-bandwidth digital telephone transmission lines were utilized. Data were collected using questionnaires that were completed by patients, family physicians, and specialist consultants after each consultation. RESULTS: All categories of participants noted very high levels of satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Telemedicine-based consultations are well accepted by rural patients, rural family physicians, and urban academic specialist consultants. This approach could offer a useful adjunct to rural health care.

Development and evaluation of public health informatics at University of Washington.

Public Health Informatics (PHI) education began at the University of Washington (UW) with a Summer Institute in 1995. The Biomedical and Health Informatics graduate program, which is housed in the School of Medicine, is an interdisciplinary, multi-school program. It demonstrates the UW's cooperative efforts in advancing informatics, encompassing the schools of public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, information and graduate schools in computer science. This article provides an overview of the developmental milestones related to activities in PHI and describes the evaluation strategy and assessment plan for PHI training at the UW (http://phig.washington.edu).