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News | 12/04/2023
FURTHER TRAINING FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS

AN ONLINE COURSE ON INFECTION PROTECTION

The Center for International Health (CIH) developed the project, which is being used nationwide by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health, among others
Even though the coronavirus pandemic has been officially declared over: Infection prevention and control measures are still of crucial crucial for the safety of healthcare staff. To address this need, the Center for International Health at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (CIHLMU) collaborated with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health during the coronavirus pandemic and offered a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on infection prevention and control of acute respiratory infections for healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries from September to November 2021. This collaboration was crucial in training and supporting 4,000 healthcare workers (medical, professional and technical, cleaning, sanitation and administrative staff) in Ecuador who completed the course during the COVID-19 pandemic.
LMU Klinikum
Symbolbild: PD Dr. med. Günter Fröschl und Teilnehmerinnen des DTMIH (Diploma in Tropical Medicine and International Health) Kurses (T&TU Tropeninstitut) beim Seminar: Basic Management of Highly Contagious Diseases
"The course covers a range of topics, including hand hygiene and the hierarchy of control measures such as risk reduction, technical controls, administrative controls and the use of personal protective equipment," explains Prof. Dr. Katja Radon, Head of the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Working Group and Net Teaching at the Institute and Polyclinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine.


She designed the project with her colleagues Dr. Bernarda Espinoza Castro and Fausto Ignatov. The participants learned about the importance of each preventive measure through nine animated and interactive units. These units took place in different healthcare settings, such as primary care, hospital emergency rooms, hospital areas, intensive care units, laboratories, etc. Depending on the individual pace of work, the online course lasts between 15 and 20 hours and participants were free to organize their time as they wished.

"The results of the course are encouraging. Many participants reported that they had significantly improved their knowledge of infection control and felt more confident in their ability to prevent and control infections after completing the course. In addition, the use of interactive videos as an online training tool received the highest rating," Prof. Dr. Radon is pleased to report.

CIH
The collaboration between CIHLMU and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health is a testament to the power of partnerships in tackling public health challenges. This training was particularly important in Ecuador, as access to healthcare and training can be limited in certain areas. In addition to Ecuador, the course has also been used in CIHLMU 's other partner countries. It is available in English and Spanish

, and what happens next? "We are currently adapting the modules, there are always infectious diseases," says Prof. Dr. Katja Radon.


Source: Klinikum Aktuell Magazine (02/2023)