Development of pediatric acute care education (PACE): An adaptive electronic learning (e-learning) environment for healthcare providers in Tanzania

Peter Andrew Meaney; Adolfine Hokororo; Theopista Masenge; Joseph Mwanga; Florence Salvatory Kalabamu; Marc Berg; Boris Rozenfeld; Zachary Smith; Neema Chami; Namala Mkopi; Castory Mwanga; Ambrose Agweyu

doi:10.1177/20552076231180471

Development of pediatric acute care education (PACE): An adaptive electronic learning (e-learning) environment for healthcare providers in Tanzania

Digit Health. 2023 Jul 24:9:20552076231180471. doi: 10.1177/20552076231180471. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Pediatrics, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
² Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences Bugando, Pediatrics, Mwanza, Tanzania.
³ Pediatric Association of Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
⁴ Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences School of Public Health, Mwanza, Tanzania.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, Pediatrics, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
⁶ Area 9 Lyceum, Educational Design, Chestnut Hill, PA, USA.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences School of Medicine, Pediatrics, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Simiyu District Hospital, Pediatrics, Simiyu, Tanzania.
⁹ Department of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract

Globally, inadequate healthcare provider (HCP) proficiency with evidence-based guidelines contributes to millions of newborn, infant, and child deaths each year. HCP guideline proficiency would improve patient outcomes. Conventional (in person) HCP in-service education is limited in 4 ways: reach, scalability, adaptability, and the ability to contextualize. Adaptive e-learning environments (AEE), a subdomain of e-learning, incorporate artificial intelligence technology to create a unique cognitive model of each HCP to improve education effectiveness. AEEs that use existing internet access and personal mobile devices may overcome limits of conventional education. This paper provides an overview of the development of our AEE HCP in-service education, Pediatric Acute Care Education (PACE). PACE uses an innovative approach to address HCPs' proficiency in evidence-based guidelines for care of newborns, infants, and children. PACE is novel in 2 ways: 1) its patient-centric approach using clinical audit data or frontline provider input to determine content and 2) its ability to incorporate refresher learning over time to solidify knowledge gains. We describe PACE's integration into the Pediatric Association of Tanzania's (PAT) Clinical Learning Network (CLN), a multifaceted intervention to improve facility-based care along a single referral chain. Using principles of co-design, stakeholder meetings modified PACE's characteristics and optimized integration with CLN. We plan to use three-phase, mixed-methods, implementation process. Phase I will examine the feasibility of PACE and refine its components and protocol. Lessons gained from this initial phase will guide the design of Phase II proof of concept studies which will generate insights into the appropriate empirical framework for (Phase III) implementation at scale to examine effectiveness.

Keywords: eHealth, general, digital health, general education, lifestyle, smartphone, media paediatrics, medicine, mHealth, psychology, mixed methods, studies.