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Explore the value of virtual courses for global health technology training, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Discover how online training can enhance capacity building in biomedical technology and its management, utilizing new technologies like virtual reality. This presentation highlights the success and planned improvements of the Healthcare Technology Planning and Management courses offered by PAHO's Virtual Campus for Public Health.
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Virtual Health Technology Training for Latin America and the Caribbean Tobey Clark, Director*, Burlington USA Alexandre Lemgruber, Regional Advisor in Health Technologies, Pan American Health Organization, Washington DC USA Rossana Rivas, Senior Advisor*, Lima Peru * WHO Collaborating Center for Health Technology Management Presentation #160 Fourth WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices
Disclosure • The presenter declares no conflict of interest with the materials provided. Fourth WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices
The value of virtual courses for global health technology training • Healthcare technology is rapidly expanding in the developing world • Capacity building is needed in the area of biomedical technology and its management • Online training is becoming a viable and impacting option worldwide due to the availability of communication networks and devices • The educational resources of the World Wide Web are tremendous • There are no costs or lost time for travel to a classroom • Online training’s asynchronous nature allows maximum flexibility for study and assignment completion time. • New technologies such as virtual reality for hands-on activities
Bi-lingual Technical Course 1: Basic – Patient Care Equipment • Healthcare Technology • Overview, Environment of Care & Standards • Preventing and Resolving Equipment Problems • Quality Assurance, PM and Troubleshooting • Human body • Engineering Concepts and Principles • Technology with focus on electrical • Measurement and diagnostic instruments • Electrocardiography • Cardiovascular • Pulse oximetry • Fetal and neonatal monitoring • Therapy devices • Defibrillators/Pacemakers • Incubators/Infant Warmers/Phototherapy • Infusion and medication technology • Ventilators
Bi-lingual Technical Course 2: Advanced – Medical Systems and Technology • Imaging Technologies • Image Quality • Radiography • Fluoroscopy • Computed Tomography • Nuclear Medicine • Magnetic Resonance Imaging • Ultrasound • Medical Imaging Networks • Advanced Technologies • Radiation Therapy Systems • Telemedicine • Clinical Engineering/IT Collaboration • Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery • Electrosurgery • Medical Lasers • Clinical Laboratory • Physical Therapy Equipment
Overall International Results: 2007 - 2018 • Over 1000 students from 40 countries have taken course • Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua, St. Lucia, Belize, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, Turks & Caicos, France, Spain, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Barbuda, Guyana, Bahamas, Anguilla, Honduras, Cuba, El Salvador, Panamá, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the USA
Healthcare Technology Planning and Management online course • Originally taught at University of Vermont beginning in 2008 • The Spanish version developed using the content of the English course translated and adapted to Latin America with additional content creation • Taught on the PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health in 2015 and 2017
PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health: Healthcare Technology Planning & Management course • Teaches best practices to follow over the healthcare technology life cycle • For adult learners working in various leadership and technical capacities • https://www.campusvirtualsp.org/en
Results: Healthcare Technology Planning & Management 2017 course • High level of participant engagement on in discussion forums with other students and instructors • Average of 2.5 quality posts by each student for each discussion question with constructive responds to other students showing outstanding interaction leading to high value • 95% overall satisfaction • Reports focused on countries projects and were of high quality
Planned Improvements and Future Activities • Courses to be offered by PAHO in 2019 • Highlight more practical elements of HT planning and management by providing more real life case studies from Latin America and the Caribbean • Due to the high degree of inter-action and networking taking place on the discussion board, this high value area should be graded with a higher weight • Add additional webinars to the course as this promotes strong interaction and net-working • Continuing online forums and webinars following the course to continue engagement • Correct platform problems especially those related to long exams • Develop Portuguese and French course adapted to Brazil and Francophone countries respectively
Questions? Primary contact: tobey.clark@uvm.edu