Background: Strengthening digital and pedagogical competence among allied health educators is critical, especially in low-resource settings where digital literacy gaps persist. While faculty development initiatives increasingly explore ICT-enabled teaching, limited research has examined educators’ immediate reflections using video-based methods. Such video-based approaches can capture authentic and spontaneous insights following training. Method: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Reflections from nine educators were captured through a single video-recorded testimonial session after a three-day ICT-focused pedagogical training. These reflections were transcribed and analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive approach. Result: Four themes emerged: 1) enhanced digital competence, 2) first-time exposure and professional growth, 3) application of ICT skills to teaching and supervision, and 4) the need for continued training and adaptation of the use of ICT in teaching and learning. Participants highlighted transferable practical skills and recognised gaps requiring ongoing support. Conclusion: Short-term, contextually relevant training demonstrated transformative potential in building educators’ digital and pedagogical capacity. Video-based evaluation proved effective in capturing authentic reflections, scalability, and informing tailored programme design. Findings are context-specific and not statistically generalizable, but they provide transferable insights for similar low-resource educational settings. However, confidentiality presents a significant challenge in video-based data collection, and appropriate ethical safeguards are necessary to protect participant identity. Recommendation: Institutions should prioritise ongoing ICT-focused faculty development, and future studies should examine sustained impacts on teaching practices and learning outcomes.
PurposeThis study measures the impact of implementation of the Improved Decentralized Maintenance Model on the functionality and availability of medical equipment in Burundi's resource constrained health care system with hypothesis that the model has a measurable impact.MethodsThe initial model was tested in 2 provinces before being improved and extended to the provinces of Bujumbura and Rumonge. It is composed by 4 interrelated main axes (Maintenance management, Human, Financial and Material resources,). This study analyses the effects of this implementation between October 2020 and February 2022.ResultsThe rate of medical equipment functional in service has increased substantially, respectively +8% in the province of Bujumbura and 2% in the province of Rumonge, and the rate of medical equipment requiring maintenance has fallen by 9.7% (Bujumbura) and 2% (Rumonge). The provinces implementing the model have convincing results in terms of functionality with scores of at least 80%, while the national average is 64%.ConclusionsThere is a notable positive change between 2020 and 2022 in the functionality of medical equipment and a decrease in equipment awaiting maintenance, and therefore in its availability. This study proves that a sustainable implementation of a decentralized maintenance model is feasible and highly useful in low-resource settings due to its affordability. The context of a low-resource country is a challenge in itself, but the model developed shows that by tackling the low-resource levels of preventive maintenance, we can have some impact on the functionality of the equipment and therefore on the quality of care.
Abstract Background Quality human resources constitute an essential pillar of an effective health system. This paper analyzes the outcomes of blended learning for post-Ebola capacity strengthening of health professionals in Guinea. Methods Two courses lasting 3 months each (7–8 modules) were developed and implemented: one in Primary Health Care (eSSP) and the other in Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Management (eSSR). Both eSSP and eSSR courses were offered online on the Moodle platform, followed by a face-to-face capacity-building workshop. A cross-sectional study using a mixed-methods approach was conducted in 2018–19. As outcomes, we described learners’ sociodemographic characteristics, course completion and success, and perceptions of the courses and support from the instructors, analyzed the factors associated with learners’ successful completion and reported on learners’ feedback on their blended learning experience. Quantitative data were analyzed using the STATA 15 software, and qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. Results Overall, 282 health professionals were enrolled for both eSSP and eSSR courses. The completion rate was 69.5% (196/282). The success rate for learners who completed the courses was 80% (156/196), and the overall success rate for enrollees was 55% (156/282). The dropout and abstention rates were 22 and 9%, respectively. On both eSSP and eSSR courses, the success rate of women enrolled was higher than or equal to men’s. The success rate of medical doctors enrolled (53% for eSSP and 67% for eSSR) was higher than for other health professionals, in particular nurses (9% for eSSP) and midwives (40% for eSSR). Course type was associated with success (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.15–3.24). Most learners strongly agreed that the courses are relevant for targeted health professionals (81 to 150/150), pdf course materials are well-structured and useful (105/150), the content of the modules is relevant, comprehensible, and clear (90/150), self-assessment quizzes are helpful (105/150), summative assessment assignments are relevant (90/150), the course administrators and IT manager were responsive to learners’ concerns (90/150), they will recommend the courses to colleagues and friends (120/150). Conclusion Two blended courses for capacity strengthening of health professionals were successfully developed and implemented in Guinea.
This study documents the setup and roll-out of a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) in Burundi's resource constrained health care system between 1/04/2017 and 31/03/2020. First, in 2017 a biomedical assets ontology was created, tailored to the local health system and progressively mapped on international GMDN (Global Medical Devices Nomenclature) and ICMD (International Classification and Nomenclature of Medical Devices) classifications. This ontology was the cornerstone of a web-based CMMS, deployed in the Kirundo and Muramvya provinces (6 health districts, 4 hospitals and 73 health centers). During the study period, the total number of biomedical maintenance interventions increased from 4 to 350 per month, average corrective maintenance delays were reduced from 106 to 26 days and the proportion of functional medical assets grew from 88 to 91%. This study proves that a sustainable implementation of a CMMS is feasible and highly useful in low resource settings, if (i) the implementation is done in a conducive technical environment with correct workshops and maintenance equipment, (ii) the active cooperation of the administrative authorities is ensured, (iii) sufficient training efforts are made, (iv) necessary hardware and internet connectivity is available and (v) adequate local technical support can be provided.
Webinar of the Law & Economics Series organised by Concurrences, in partnership with Skadden, with Gabriella Muscolo (Commissioner, Italian Competition Authority), Martijn Snoep (Chairman,…
