The Mobile CPD4Nigeria Project – provision of a non-communicable diseases (NCDs) care package for front-line doctors in Nigeria through electronically-delivered continuing professional development (CPD) courses.

The Mobile CPD4Nigeria Project is a provision of a non-communicable diseases (NCDs) care package for front-line doctors in Nigeria through electronically-delivered continuing professional development (CPD) courses.  This represents the pioneer use of mobile technology (phones, tablets, laptops) to provide Continuing Professional Development Courses for Medical Doctors in Nigeria.  FHIND is part of a consortium that has designed and deployed the Mobile CPD4Nigeria Project. The other partners are InStrat Global Health Solutions and University of Leeds.

Background

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are estimated to cause 24% of total deaths among Nigerians, with cardiovascular diseases, cancers and diabetes accounting for 7%, 3% and 2% of proportional mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the probability of dying prematurely from NCDs in Nigeria is as high as 20%. It is in recognition of this, that COMDIS-HSD, in collaboration with the Nigerian Government, adapted a generic NCD care package to the Nigeria context through a technical working group process facilitated by the NCD Division of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) in Abuja Nigeria in 2015. The FMOH NCD care package, which was finalised in 2018 following a pilot-training in Calabar that was facilitated by FHIND, consists of a concise ‘quick reference’ NCD diagnosis and treatment deskguide; a lifestyle and health education deskguide; a treatment card; and training modules.  To ensure widespread uptake of the NCD care package across Nigeria, an innovative approach is required such as electronically-delivered continuing professional development (CPD) courses.

Electronically delivered CPD courses

Currently, medical doctors in Nigeria who are outside a training programme are required to get 20 CPD points every year to remain on the register of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). This has resulted in a proliferation of CPD awarding training programmes for doctors across the country.  Doctors who attend these CPD awarding events are expected to pay an attendance fee to the organisers.

The FMOH NCD care package materials have been developed into electronic CPD course modules for doctors, particularly for General Hospital doctors, Primary Health Centre (PHC) clinicians, and clinicians in private practice.

InStrat Global Health Solutions, a health technology company in Nigeria owns a video training (VTR) Mobile Training Application that can be used on any smart phone, tablet or laptop/desktop computer, off-line or while connected to the internet.  VTR Mobile supports multi-media training content including text, audio and video-based training: this platform can be used to provide NCD CPD modules based on the FMOH NCD care package materials. The modules will include video consultation material, tests and reflection notes.  VTR Mobile features quizzes in between course modules such that a pass is required for proceeding to subsequent modules and at the end of courses, after which certification can be provided to successful trainees. Once users log on and download the training content, which is stored locally on the device, they can view the content as often as they want without incurring additional data costs. VTR Mobile back-end administration provides all trainees with user accounts to enable them sign on and take training courses at their convenience.  VTR Mobile web-based portal provides training managers with progress reports and all use data including log in frequency, course completion; test scores; etc.

Training Content

The Mobile CPD4Nigeria Project offers seven modules focusing on hypertension, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, chronic respiratory diseases (Asthma and COPD), sickle cell disease, healthy lifestyle and depression. Each module features a combination of video and PDF based teaching material. Doctors that complete each module and pass the assessment tests in the application will be issued 3 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Credits by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

The training content has been adapted from the FMOH NCD documents by University of Leeds in collaboration with the Nigerian FMOH and FHIND. The training content has been approved for award of CPD credits by National NMA and is powered by InStrat Global Health Solutions.