RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Journey From a Digital Innovation to a Sustainable Health Worker Capacity-Building App in India: Experiences, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
JF Global Health: Science and Practice
JO GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT
FD Johns Hopkins University- Global Health. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs
SP e2400006
DO 10.9745/GHSP-D-24-00006
VO 12
IS 3
A1 Chase, Rebecca
A1 Sanyal, Sohini
A1 Singh, Preksha
A1 Sharda, Sharda
A1 Bhargava, Anita
A1 Raturi, Pramod
A1 Soni, Gopal Krishna
A1 Ganguly, Parthasarathi
YR 2024
UL http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/12/3/e2400006.abstract
AB Key FindingsTo train health workers on delivering immunization services, a traditional instructor-led classroom training approach posed several challenges, including variations in the quality of training, need for complicated logistics arrangements to implement, and lack of ability to provide refresher training.A digital platform was developed to complement classroom training and provide an interactive, engaging, faster, and more effective way to address gaps in health worker knowledge and skills in providing immunization services.After successfully piloting the app among 2,800 users in 5 districts in 5 states, the app has been scaled up to 40,000 users in 101 districts in 6 states in India, with plans for further scale-up across the country.Key ImplicationDigital learning platforms can facilitate faster and more effective knowledge and skill transfer and provide mechanisms for supportive supervision, peer-to-peer learning, and dissemination of national policy guideline updates.Health workers, especially auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), are among the most critical resources in improving the quality of immunization services and reducing vaccine hesitancy under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) in India. To improve health worker immunization skills, UIP trainings in India are primarily conducted through instructor-led classroom, cascade trainings. However, a 2018 capacity-building need assessment revealed several challenges involved in traditional classroom training, such as a single-time exposure to new guidelines, complicated logistics arrangements, a lack of refresher training, and varying quality of training. These complexities make it difficult to meet the timely knowledge and skill needs of every health worker effectively and uniformly in a rapidly changing scenario of UIP. To meet health worker capacity-building needs and address these challenges, Rapid Immunization Skill Enhancement (RISE), a learning management system (LMS) application, was conceptualized. The RISE LMS application was developed as a human-centered, interactive, continuous, and adaptable knowledge and skill-building platform for health workers engaged in the UIP. RISE complements existing classroom-based cascade training for health workers by leveraging digital technologies for faster, easier, and more effective knowledge transfer to accommodate the fast-changing needs of a dynamic health program like UIP. In this article, we share the challenges and strategic solutions to digital training applications, lessons learned, sustainability of the application, and the impact RISE has made in India, all of which stemmed from leadership, coordinated efforts from a team of skilled professionals, government acceptance, detailed planning, and continued stakeholder engagement.