Ensuring Safety and Strengthening Capacity of Front Line Health workers in the fight against COVID-19
The Frontline Health workers’ safety is an ongoing issue in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Because of their close proximity to the most severe cases, health workers face a dire risk of contracting infectious diseases, now more than ever. More than 1,700 health workers had been infected by the virus and six had died as of February 11, according to the Washington Post.
Frontline workers are at the epicenter of the outbreak-they need rigorous training and knowledge to deal with the novel Coronavirus given the high reproduction rate of the virus and the eminent susceptibility to the virus.
No matter how many borders are closed or countries quarantined, without safeguarding front-line workers, we are all at risk
The infections, along with the deaths of several doctors in China, underscore the deeply challenging, chaotic environment that healthcare workers confront when battling on the front lines of a major outbreak. There is a greater need for health workers to be equipped with information and resources that protect them and give them a fighting chance against Corona virus.
Effective transmission of information and other training resources can be done through a modern blended learning approach using distant learning and adult learning principles.
Empower is your global partner in providing a comprehensive and integrated range of learning solutions, including content design, development, dissemination, learning platforms and impacts measurement. Empower has deployed these solutions for 250 organizations across 100+ countries in multiple languages. So far we have delivered over 1 million hours of learning at a cost of $1 per learning hour per person.
E-learning can broaden the reach of health systems in the face of health worker shortages in remote and inaccessible areas, facilitate collaboration, teamwork and accountability in providing people-centered care. Moreover, e-learning training is most appropriate for global health emergency preparedness. High risk areas and populations may not always be safe or accessible to global health interventions, in this aspect digital learning technologies and methods are a way for the technical assistance to be delivered as and when required.
Empower has developed an integrated approach to train and monitor Frontline Workers using digital technologies. These can be used for rapid training of health workers, volunteers and the community. Examples include infection Control in facilities, to use of Personal Protective Equipment to management protocols for infectious diseases as per WHO. Empower has designed digital modules based on national and international treatment and response guidelines, that are simple and follow principles of adult learning. These solutions are easy to deploy at scale, in real time and at low cost.
Figure : Integrated model for building capacity of Front-line worker
About the Empower Group
Empower is a Digital Learning Solutions Organization comprised of Empower School of Health, Center for Digital Learning and Center for Leadership Development, with offices in Geneva, Delhi, Dakar, Kathmandu and Bangkok.
