Stenvert L.S. Drop
Erasmus MC, Netherlands
Title: A global E-learning curriculum in pediatric endocrinology for front line health care providers in resource-limited countries
Biography
Biography: Stenvert L.S. Drop
Abstract
We have developed a freely and globally accessible e-learning module within an e-learning website of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) (www.espe-elearning.org) providing teaching and instruction material intended for first line health care workers in resource limited countries (RLC). The project grew following receiving feedback from a survey conducted by the Global Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Organisation (GPED) among various stakeholders within and outside RLC and reviewing literature stating that e-learning is effective taking policy-related issues on implementation, storage solutions, bandwidth, understanding of practicality and cost effectiveness into account. Thus, information provided should be in line with the clinical expertise and laboratory facilities generally available in the three levels of medical health care: primary (basic or rural); secondary (district and regional hospitals); tertiary (zonal or main/national referral hospitals). Importantly, the information should be easily accessible and provided in a locally spoken language. We have created an e-learning module based on this knowledge. Content, written in English, undergoes a review process by an international editorial board under the umbrella of the International Consortium of Pediatric Endocrinology (ICPE). The chapters (20-50 slides/chapter) cover the spectrum of paediatric endocrinology. Concise basic information on pathophysiology and guidelines for management are provided at the three health care levels, including criteria for referral to subsequent levels of care. Moreover, colleagues with RLC expertise are invited to contribute interactive vignettes illustrating challenging clinical cases (10-12 slides) complementing each chapter. Subsequently, all text is translated into Spanish, French, Swahili and Chinese by native speaking junior/senior colleagues. The translation is facilitated by translation tools with a translation memory database and a terminology approval management tool promoting consistency, accuracy and quality. The RLC module is applicable for self-study but additionally facilitates direct interaction between medical/nursing students and tutors in classroom teaching or in regional and (inter-) national e-learning courses