The main focus of the mission was joint work with local team to finalize the full set of training materials, including in addition to reading part practice exercises, and illustrative materials. The consultant together with the rest of the external team and national team went though all IMCI materials included in the application. The exchange of reviews and adaptation drafts of the ICATT READ part between the country and global ICATT consultants took place via the e-mail before current mission. During this visit remaining issues concerning the IMCI technical content were discussed, necessary solutions found and appropriate revisions incorporated into ICATT. Then the PRACTISE and TEST part exercises were reviewed and revised.
During the work in Dar Es Salaam necessary adjustments have been made to the text of the training course, a number of additional technical issues has been identified and corrected. At the end of the mission, the Tanzanian training course was finalized and the first ever country adaptation of ICATT training player produced.
In addition to work with training course an important task was to prepare a national ICATT library to include a number of locally appropriate materials and illustrations. This work was also completed during the mission.
Next important component of the visit included discussion and preparations for the first national IMCI training course using local adaptation of ICATT materials. The Global ICATT team provided necessary guidance and advice on how such course should be organize and conducted. This included detailed information of the course logistics, course organization and evaluation. During the meeting with Dr. Pemba, the trainers from Ifakara Training centre, Mr Oskar Mukasa, three experts from the Ifakara Research Centre (IRC) and WHO staff all developed plans have been presented and approved. Separately an outline of evaluation process has been discussed.
It was agreed that:
- Facilitator training will take place during two days - on 24-25 October 2008
- The 8 day IMCI training course using ICATT be conducted between 27 October and 4 November 2008
- On 5 of November there will be “wrap up” meeting of all facilitators and observers.
- There will be 37 participants (assistant medical officer (AMO) second year students). The participants will be divided into two groups: In Group I, each participant will learn using individual computer, for Group B (“beamed“) the ICATT material will be presented by a facilitator.
- Up to 17 observers and one or more members of the evaluation team will also attend the computer part of training. The observers will be: 1 person WHO HQ, Muhimbili, and Iringa each, 2 national ICATT consultants, 2 persons from AFRO and WHO country office. Part of the observers will also attend the facilitator meeting. Each observer will work with his/her own laptop. The observers will be also divided into two groups and work together with Group I and B alternatively. The observers will NOT attend the clinical practice.
- Four local facilitators will facilitate/conduct the computer work (two per group). The MOHSW will select local facilitators. These four facilitators will also conduct clinical practice assisted by additional facilitators – trained staff from Ifakara hospital.
Finally all results of the work during the mission have been presented during the meeting with of the national ICATT working group which took place in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Neema Rusinbamayila, IMCI coordinator MoHSW.
At the end of the mission Dr. Pemba, the coordinator of the ICATT-based IMCI training course in Ifakara, received the DVD ICATT training player produced during the mission. Dr. Pemba will give copies of the ICATT training player to the Ifakara IMCI facilitators, who are expected to work through the ICATT IMCI training course and discuss their progress and any issues in formal meetings.
The Global ICATT team will continue providing support to the course preparation.