Is the malaria short course for program managers, a priority for malaria control effort in Nigeria? Evidence from a qualitative study

Abstract

Background A Malaria Short Course (MSC) was conceptualized to build the capacity of program managers for malaria control due to the lack of a single comprehensive broad-based programmatic training in Nigeria. Prior to its implementation, a needs assessment was conducted based on the perspectives of stakeholders to plan and develop the curriculum. Methods This was an exploratory qualitative study. Fifty-six purposively selected stakeholders at local, state and national levels were interviewed. Opinions on the need for training, its perceived impact, priority focus, likelihood of participation, sustainability of and planned support for the MSC were explored using a pretested researcher-designed interview guide. Interviews were audiotape recorded, and the transcripts were subjected to thematic content analysis. Results Participants included Directors of Primary Health Care (50%), State Malaria Program Officers (8.9%), State Directors of Public Health Services (7.1%) and Roll Back Malaria Officers (5.4%). Participants' mean number of years of experience in their current positions was 6.2 (SD 4.7) years. The dominant view was "malaria remains a problem in Nigeria, exacerbated by poor funding, knowledge deficit, lack of training opportunities for program managers and

What do malaria program officers want to learn? A survey of perspectives on a proposed malaria short course in Nigeria

“…Bamiselu et al found sub-optimal adherence to treatment guidelines [ 3 ]. The finding supports that of qualitative study [ 7 ]. Generally, a high priority rating was typical of males and those who were currently working in the malaria program.…”

“…Most, at least 70%, rated certain topics and their domains to be of high priority, namely: parasite phases of development, malaria transmission, continuum of malaria control (basic malariology domain), knowledge on treatment guideline, treatment of malaria (malaria treatment domain), vector control, intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (malaria prevention domain), mentoring, supervision, and accountability (leadership skills domain), planning activities and using resources, logistics and commodity distribution, and sustainability of malaria control activities (program management domain) and basic statistics domain. The high rating of data sources and data generation, health information system, data analysis and interpretation, data utilization, use of dashboard, use of software, data entry and analysis (surveillance/data management domain) corroborate earlier finding of qualitative a study which suggested the need for data-related training and buttresses the importance of surveillance as a core intervention in the World Health Organization Global Technical Strategy for malaria [ 7 , 9 ].…”

“…This study was part of a larger study aimed at developing curriculum for the MSC for malaria program managers. A detailed description of the study setting has been published [ 7 ].…”

“…The deployment of efficacious interventions at addressing malaria control and elimination over the years has not been accompanied with optimal uptake [ 6 ]. Data on implementation are inadequate and of poor quality and these have been attributed to poor skills of both health workers who generate the data and program managers who are the decision makers [ 7 ]. Often, staff are transferred or deployed across different programs in public health programs at the state, local government area and ward levels in Nigeria and this disrupts program activities continuity and documentation.…”

“…The aim was to address the knowledge and skills gaps of staff at the programmatic level. As part of a larger effort to design the curriculum for a MSC, we conducted a mixed-methods study to assess stakeholders’ opinions on the need for the course, identify priority areas to focus on and establish willingness of stakeholders’ to participate [ 7 ]. The qualitative assessment established that a MSC for program managers is a priority for malaria control effort in Nigeria and identified training needs [ 7 ].…”