Capacitating frontline health care workers in the hearth of the HIV & TB epidemic: KRISP & CAPRISA trained 2,000 health care workers in South Africa
At KRISP, we recognize the importance of strengthening the health system if we are to achieve the goals of ending the HIV and TB epidemics. We have a particular passion for training frontline health care workers. Through our partnership with the CAPRISA Advanced Clinical Care Programme in the last four years, we have contributed to training of over 2000 health care workers in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
We use a predominantly case-based learning approach to root the training in people's everyday clinical practice and to encourage higher levels of learning as our training is primarily designed to build skills and competence in the management of complex HIV and TB disease, especially drug-resistant disease.
In July and September 2018, in collaboration with CAPRISA, we hosted two ‘train the trainers' workshops on advanced clinical care. In these workshops, we worked intensively with a group of around 40 clinicians to develop not only their competence in management of complex HIV and TB disease, but also their skills in delivering training themselves. Three of our participating doctors from high volume facilities presented clinical cases of second-line ART failure from their own practice and led the discussion of the cases with the other participants. The aim is that by nurturing this group as master clinicians and trainers we will expand the reach and impact of our training.
Then on 20-21 September 2018, we participated in the Annual Workshop on Advanced Clinical Care - AIDS (AWACC) 2018, always one of the highlights of our year. This workshop is organized by our friends and collaborators Dr Henry Sunpath and Prof Yunus Moosa from UKZN and Prof Raj Gandhi for Harvard. This year the 12th AWACC was held at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban. There were almost 300 participants, the majority doctors, nurses and pharmacists working in the public sector in KwaZulu-Natal.
Prof Tulio de Oliveira chaired the session on HIV drug resistance. Dr Richard Lessells presented in this session, focusing on HIV drug resistance in adults on second-line antiretroviral therapy. We used a case of virological failure on second-line ART to illustrate some key learning points about protease inhibitor resistance and to share the findings of some of our recent research in this area. More details of our clinical training activities can be found at KRISP training section. We are already looking forward to next year's AWACC!
News date: 2018-09-29
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