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BackgroundIn the face of growing modernity and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, open and distance learning (ODL) is considered to play an important role in increasing access to education worldwide. There is a robust evidence base demonstrating its cost effectiveness in comparison with conventional class-based teaching; however, the transition to this new paradigm of learning for nursing and midwifery courses has been difficult in low-income countries. While there are notable efforts to increase internet and education access to health care professionals, not much is known about ODL for nurses and midwives in East African countries. ObjectiveThe objective of this scoping review is to understand whether ODL programs for nursing and midwifery education exist, the drivers of their adoption, their implementation, the topics/courses covered, their acceptability, and their impacts in East African countries. MethodsThe scoping review methodology employs the framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley. Using an exploratory approach, a two-stage screening process consisting of a title and abstract scan and a full-text review will be used to determine the eligibility of articles. To be included, articles must report on an existing ODL initiative for nurses and midwives in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. All articles will be independently assessed for eligibility by pairs of reviewers, and all eligible articles will be abstracted and charted in duplicate using a standardized form. ResultsDetails of ODL for nursing and midwifery education initiatives and study outcomes will be summarized in a table. The extracted data will undergo exploratory descriptive analysis, and the results will be classified into learner and clinical outcomes. ConclusionsEvidence on ODL for nursing and midwifery education will inform the ongoing development and restructuring of health care professional education in East Africa amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/17765

Background: Access to essential health commodities is fundamental to healthcare system efficacy. These commodities are vital in delivering health services and form integral elements within the World Health Organization's strengthening framework, encompassing the six foundational building blocks. Regrettably, there has been a global increase in shortages and stockouts of essential health commodities in recent years. Objective: The study aimed to identify factors influencing the availability of essential health commodities throughout all levels of the supply chain in Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed method study that employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed using STATA version 16, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Results: Factors contributing to stockouts of essential commodities at the national level included increased demand, delayed shipments from donors, decreased funding commitments, delayed disbursement of funds, global shortages, inadequate governance, debt within the Medical Stores Department, donor dependency for vertical programme commodities, and long lead times by Medical Stores Department's suppliers. At the regional and district levels, such factors include a shortage of human resources, lack of electronic medical records, limited interoperability of information systems, poor quality of logistics data, inadequate use of data for decision-making, and poor inventory management. At the healthcare facility level, factors included; an overwhelming number of exempted clients, which reduces facility revenues. Conclusion: More efforts are still needed to address both the upstream and downstream challenges required to ensure sustainable access and availability of essential health commodities at service delivery points, as a pathway for improving health sector performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is broad recognition for using group discussion to enhance students' active learning in face-to-face and online teaching models. However, our efforts to engage students in active learning through Moodlebased group discussions have largely been unsuccessful. We applied Brookfield's four lenses framework to guide the reflection on teaching practices by building on personal teaching experiences, the perception from 20 students, the experience of three peers, and surveying related literature. The findings indicate a broad acknowledgment of online group discussions. However, small groups, grading discussions, and computer skills development were proposed to enhance active learning engagement through online group activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Worldwide, there has been renewed emphasis on reducing neonatal mortality in low-resource countries. The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) programme has been shown to reduce newborn deaths. The aim of this study is to present provider-level perceptions and experiences of the HBB programme implemented at-scale in Tanzania and identify key lessons learned for scalability in similar and other settings. Methods:Focus group discussions with HBB-trained providers were conducted using a prospective longitudinal study design between October 2013 and May 2015. A semi-structured discussion guide was used to facilitate the focus groups which were held 4–6 weeks and 4–6 months post-HBB training. Data were managed using NVivo software and analysed thematically. Results:A total of 222 focus group discussions were conducted in 252 trained facilities and involved 599 providers across 15 regions of Tanzania. Birth attendants reported that the training programme helped increase knowledge, skills and confidence, and that the provided equipment simplified resuscitation. Supportive supervision and regular follow-up visits were considered critical for skills retention. On the other hand, the brief 1-day training in Tanzania, small financal incentives, intra-facility rotations of trained attendants, staff shortages, limited rescucitation spaces and mastery of the bag-and-mask were considered challenges to the HBB programme in Tanzania. Discussion:The HBB programme was largely very well received during its first at-scale implementation in Tanzania. Addressing the main challenges cited by participants, particularly the training duration, may increase provider satisfaction with the HBB training programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]