Digital Training is supporting a project to achieve 95% HIV reduction in Mozambique
Solution: Digital Training
In association with
Overview
Mozambique ranks in the top 10 countries worldwide in HIV infections.
But one USAID project’s ambitious prevention goals are moving forward through Viamo’s accessible, digital solution, resulting in almost 150 hospitals across four provinces trained.
USAID’s project supports Mozambique’s government in expanding targeted HIV reduction using the scalability and reach of Viamo’s mobile service.
The Efficiencies for Clinical HIV Outcomes (ECHO) project launched under The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The partnership’s experts want
- 95 percent of Mozambicans living with HIV know their status,
- 95 percent to be on treatment and
- 95 percent to maintain viral suppression by 2024.
Viamo co-created behavior change messaging using mobile data collection to inform knowledge gaps as well as implementing digital trainings for healthcare professionals and dispatching mobile patient reminders.
These combined efforts support the continuum of care for patients living with HIV by strengthening patient monitoring, raising awareness, and promoting the uptake of both services and treatment follow-up.
USAID ECHO helps to equip a variety of Mozambican healthcare professionals in four provinces. Viamo’s digital solution assesses knowledge gaps and deploys training for healthcare professionals, including nurses, psychologists, community health workers, monitoring and evaluation specialists as well as lab technicians.
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Mozambique’s unique challenges
About 13 percent of the adult population is living with the disease, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. And women and youth are disproportionately affected by HIV in Mozambique.
The healthcare system in Mozambique has one of the lowest doctor-per-population rates in the world: three doctors per 100,000 people.
This means many people must walk more than an hour to get medical care.
USAID ECHO focuses on healthcare system strengthening and workforce capacity building to meet the project goals. The most effective way to do this is by upskilling the health practitioner workforce.
But the four provinces have nearly 150 hospitals. Manica, Sofala, Niassa, and Tete provinces are spread hundreds of kilometers apart, making in-person training costly, time-consuming, disconnected and inefficient.
Viamo’s digital solutions provided the range, speed and results for this complex training need.
What we did
ABT’s ECHO team and Viamo co-created a distance learning platform for these healthcare professionals. Accessible via simple mobile phones, pre-recorded lessons were sent monthly via a phone call. It took about 10 minutes to complete the lesson and answer the related questions.
Currently, 148 health facilities have implemented the distance learning platform.
To date, the ECHO project has launched 13 modules, including:
- viral load testing and suppression
- counseling and health testing
- pediatric antiretroviral treatment
- prevention of mother-to-child transmission
- psychosocial support
- TB and HIV co-infection
These modules include multiple-choice questions to test the knowledge attained. Each module was available for four weeks, allowing healthcare professionals to move through the modules at their own pace and in their own time. To incentivize participation, after the completion of each learning module, healthcare professionals received an airtime top-up worth $1.50.
Viamo built and provided a real-time dashboard that analyzed results.
With the personalized dashboard, USAID ECHO could see participation rates, correct answer rates and the groups that had the greatest need for further training.
Personalized project dashboard
Results
By collecting and analyzing data, we have been able to assess where there are knowledge gaps with specific groups of healthcare professionals.
Deep insights have allowed the ECHO team to know which province, district and health facility had the highest and lowest knowledge. The project deployed timely and appropriate resources based on the digital information gathered so that front liners are equipped to serve patients better and reach the project impact goals.
Future
Strengthening existing healthcare systems and professionals is the fastest way to improve patient care and health outcomes. Based on the high participation and completion rates, USAID ECHO will continue with the e-learning platform by developing and sharing more modules next year.
Viamo is on pace to produce one e-learning module to be deployed each month. The results of the modules will inform priority areas to further build capacity for healthcare professionals.
Viamo’s methodology – from co-creation through behavior change solutions to monitoring, evaluation, and learning – will be applicable and scalable to other communities and regions with similar healthcare challenges.
