Harnessing Technology to Expand the Reach of HIV Interventions
May 17th, 2018 |
Internet use is surging across the African continent as smartphones push the web into territory that cables have never reached. SIM card shops and airtime merchants have popped up everywhere—from the biggest cities to the most remote villages. Smartphone usage in Africa is expected to triple by 2021, empowering people with access to new information.
When mobile access expands, so does the reach of mobile-first content. Using smartphones, we can reach the previously unreached with HIV prevention interventions. Recognizing this, AIDSFree pioneered a mobile-first e-learning platform—the VMMC Online Training Hub (OTH)—to advance HIV prevention. In one user-friendly platform, the OTH provides classes, resources, and communities of practice to improve clinicians’ knowledge about voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), a proven HIV prevention strategy.
The OTH is currently being rolled out in South Africa and Lesotho with plans to expand to Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Swaziland, and Uganda. It features interactive multimedia, audio narration, videos, a resource library, frequently asked questions, and a social collaboration forum.
The fully responsive design of the course permits use on devices such as smartphones and tablets, enabling more learners to have access than a traditional computer-based or in-person course ever could. All the course content and multimedia features respond to the needs of the users and the device they are using. Additionally, course materials can be downloaded for offline use. So, whether a person is using a phone, tablet, or computer, online or off, the course material and multimedia will be accessible.
The standardized course material, quizzes, and interactivity prepare the learners for in-person surgical training. The OTH also has a performance tracking feature that allows healthcare providers to stay up-to-date on the latest additions to the platform, ensuring they deliver safe, high-quality, and efficient VMMC services.
To bring critical training to more healthcare providers than ever before, the world must turn to mobile-first design.
Written by Skyland Woll
