A secure and reliable mobile option for medical training

Challenge

The following problems were experienced by Masanga Hospital:

• Medical training could only occur when qualified doctors travelled to Sierra Leone

• Training was only given in person

• Any reference material was given out as a file on a USB stick or as paper hand-out making it difficult to reference materials when assessing a patient or refreshing on particular topics

• There was no ongoing, formal assessment of comprehension and retention of training materials, to understand the value and benefit of training over time

• There was poor network connectivity in Sierra Leone and limited access to Android tablets or computers

• The Masanga UK team didn’t have any technical or design resources to produce digital training

Solution

Create a mobile and web app solution to deliver training materials, including:

• Registration to identify app users and track their progress

• Broad topics, with a number of sections under each

• Each section contains reference material through factsheets and guidelines

• Each section has multi-step case scenarios to help simulate practical application and ascertain the level of understanding before and after reviewing the reference material

• Notifications when new or updated material available

• Gamification (badges/awards) to encourage interaction and repeated usage

• Micro learning (audio and visual) to ensure materials are easy to comprehend and remember

• Provide a personalised feel to the app that encourages motivation and ownership of learning

Dr Patel received training and guidance from Fliplet on how to structure the app and get the most from Fliplet’s app creation platform.

Results

The organization achieved these benefits by offering a solution on mobile:

• Reliable offline access as 3G is the only connectivity available

• Reduced costs by using existing devices, the app has reduced printing and IT costs vs alternative methods of delivering the information to users

• Increased the skill level of the remote users and therefore the level of care given to patients

• Increased productivity with immediate access to content enabling users to rapidly diagnose patients and find relevant content in a single app

Additional benefits the organization received by using a digital solution to support face to face training include:

• Utilise newer mobile devices and capabilities

• Give app users information in an interactive and educational format

• By having a centrally maintained and automatically updating app the risk of incorrect or outdated content being accessed is reduced

• Give app users the confidence to do their jobs effectively and contribute to a better level of care for patients

• Data visibility and feedback to improve training

• Understand levels of knowledge before and after consumption of reference materials

• Offer a solution to all of Sierra Leone’s healthcare industry