Information and communication technology can be used to improve the quality and safety of health care and to lower costs. But in both developed and developing countries, there is an inadequate supply of skilled individuals who have the technical skills to use this technology to improve health care. Some studies project workforce needs of tens of thousands in English-speaking developed countries, but it is not known what size workforce will be required in the developing world. It is important to identify and develop the skills, training, and competenciesconsistent with local cultures, languages, and health systems-that will be needed to realize the full benefits of these technologies. We present a framework for answering these questions and for developing estimates of the size and scope of the workforce that may be needed.O ne way to bring about improvements in health, health care, biomedical research, and public health across the world is to make use of knowledge and skills in the implementation and use of information and communication technology. The reach of these technologies in the developing world, via both Internet access and mobile phones, is increasing exponentially.1 However, the size and skills of the workforce have not kept pace.When information and communication technology is used for health applications, it is called e-health.2 Its application limited to mobile phone technology is called m-health. Improving Care With TechnologyIn developed economies, there is increasing evidence, documented by systematic reviews, that information and communication technology can improve the quality and safety of health care while reducing its cost. 4,5 In developing economies, the evidence is less robust, but there are successful applications-for example, from Africa, 6,7 Latin America, 8-10 and the Philippines. 11 Workforce NeedsOne of the challenges to implementing health information and communication technology is the need for a skilled workforce that understands health care, information and communication technology, and the people and organizational challenges involved.
Implementation of this educational program showed the feasibility of a continent-wide interprofessional massive course on hospital acquired-infections in Latin America, in the two main languages spoken in the region. Next steps included a new edition of this course and a "New Challenges" course on hospital-acquired infections, which were successfully implemented in the second semester of 2015 by the same institutions.
IntroductionRaising awareness of acute kidney injury (AKI) is an essential strategy for minimizing the burden of this lethal syndrome. The AKI Commission of the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension conducted an educational program based on networked learning.MethodsTwo online courses with similar methodologies were developed, 1 course for nephrologists and the other for primary care physicians (PCP). The courses were developed as a distance education, asynchronous online modality with multiple educational strategies: written lessons, videos, e-rounds, and clinical simulation. Knowledge gain was explored through a 10-question test before and after course completion.ResultsThe course for nephrologists had 779 participants from 21 countries; 52% were male, and 46% were <35 years of age. Mean qualification increased from 5.87 to 8.01 (36% gain of knowledge). The course for PCPs had 2011 participants, 81% of whom were physicians. The time from graduation was <5 years in 52%. In both courses, clinical simulation was considered the best part and lack of time the main limitation for learning. Because 48% of the nephrologist course attendees were interested in AKI activities, a Latin American AKI Network site (RedIRA) composed of a brief review, a clinical forum, a self-assessment, and a bibliography on AKI was launched on a monthly basis in November 2016. To date there are 335 users from 18 countries.ConclusionsDistance education techniques were effective for learning about AKI and are a potential tool for the development of a sustainable structure for communication, exchange, and integration of physicians involved in the care of patients with AKI.
The need to train physicians on tobacco cessation skills can be addressed via ICTs and educational activities that include participant interaction.
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