Information needs and sources of health professionals in Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Health professionals require up-to-date information in their pursuit of evidence-based practice in health care. There is a plethora of literature on information behaviour of different user groups across disciplines in Malawi with little evidence on health professionals. OBJECTIVES: The study investigated the information behaviour of health professionals at one of the three biggest hospitals in Malawi. METHODS: A descriptive survey design was used. Ninety-four health professionals participated in the study. SPSS was used for descriptive analysis to generate frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: Personal and professional development constituted the major information need among all the health professionals. Health professionals used books and colleagues as sources of information, but many preferred to use websites, rather than print resources. The challenges that affected their information behaviour included, inadequate information resources, limited access to the internet and e-databases, and lack of information literacy skills. DISCUSSION: The study revealed various information needs of health professionals and their preferred information sources. Health professionals need adequate library and information services with both print and digital resources and support from information professionals. Nevertheless, use of the hospital library was very low among health professionals. CONCLUSION: Health professionals at MCH continue to face various challenges that hinder access and efficient use of information resources.

Combating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in rural areas of Malawi: Factors affecting the fight.

BACKGROUND: Owing to their detachment from urban areas, people living in rural areas of Malawi are on the receiving end of health services and socio-economic benefits. The study therefore explored how Malawians living in these areas are adhering to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) containment measures and the factors that affect the COVID-19 fight amongst this population. AIM: The study investigated how the rural population in Malawi adheres to COVID-19 containment measures. SETTING: The study was conducted in two districts in Northern Malawi. METHODS: Data were collected from 263 participants. The chi-square (χ2) test was performed to determine the association between demographic variables and COVID-19 prevention practices and factors affecting the COVID-19 fight. RESULTS: Education was significantly associated with wearing of masks (p = 0.01), use of sanitisers (p 0.01) and practising social distancing (p = 0.07). Monthly income was associated with the use of sanitisers (p 0.01). Women were more exposed to fake news about COVID-19 (p = 0.09); older people were more likely to disregard COVID-19 containment measures for cultural reasons (p = 0.07); and monthly income was associated with a lack of resources for following COVID-19 containment measures (p 0.01). CONCLUSION: Findings show that factors affecting the COVID-19 fight are influenced by various socio-economic factors which should therefore be taken into account in policy planning aiming at controlling the pandemic.Contribution: The study provides health stakeholders with a policy direction that enhances better coordination, implementation and monitoring of COVID-19 response and recovery activities in rural areas in Malawi. The findings have implications on controlling current and future communicable diseases; the proposed strategies might be employed in fighting similar current and future pandemics.

Electronic learning benefits and challenges in Malawi's higher education: A literature review.

Electronic learning (e-learning) has become inevitable for higher education institutions during the Corona Virus pandemic. This paper presents a systematic literature review on e-learning in Malawi's higher education institutions with comparable analysis from findings in other developing countries across the globe. The aim was to highlight some benefits and challenges of implementing a sustainable e-learning programme in higher education institutions. Methods for the review included a qualitative analysis of literature and employed the Bandara et al. (2011) framework and NVIVO 10.0 for windows for data analysis and management and incorporated the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to help define the question, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the proposed methods, including a comprehensive search strategy. Sources for the review included research articles from databases such as Sage, Emerald, Science Direct and Elsevier. The paper has unearthed several benefits of online learning especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the few publications and sustainable e-learning research in Malawi, the review has found that technological, individual, financial and managerial challenges, impede the development of best practice standards for e-learning implementation. The review has suggested recommendations of a sustainable e-learning programme to provide quality learning through technology. The paper provides further ideas for developing and implementing a sustainable e-learning program to provide quality learning through technology.