Presented By: Insaf Omar, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Co-Authors: Hadeel Abdelsied, Sudan ECHO Center of Excellence
Reem Ahmed, Emory University School of Medicine
Abrar Al Aliem, Sudan ECHO Center of Excellence
Ana Carolina Barbosa de Lima, Project ECHO Institute
Nada Fadul, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Lana Ismail, Sudan ECHO Center of Excellence
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed healthcare vulnerabilities in Sudan, a country facing political and economic instability. Sudanese diaspora physicians and local partners established the Community Medical Response Team (CMRT) to address COVID-19 spread using a US-based Project ECHO hub to remotely train healthcare students/practitioners. This study aimed to i) describe the CMRT ECHO program, its participants, and satisfaction levels; ii) assess knowledge increase; and iii) investigate associations between attendance frequency and professional categories with satisfaction indicators, knowledge increase, and practice change.
Methods
Virtual telementorship was provided biweekly from December 2021 to March 2023 using Project ECHO's Zoom online platform. Post-session anonymous surveys assessed participants' professional characteristics, satisfaction, knowledge increase, and practice changes. Data analysis involved Wilcoxon rank sum test and chi-square tests, exploring associations between attendance frequency, profession, and various outcomes.
Results
We obtained 2667 post-session survey responses from 880 unique participants, of which 53% were medical doctors (MD), 17% were public health staff (PHS), and 30% were other clinical personnel (OCP). Average session attendance was 64 participants and mean frequency of attendance was 3 sessions. Seventy-one percent reported sessions were relevant, 80% would recommend sessions, and 85% will use what they learned. Participants reported significant increase in knowledge after sessions (p<0.0001). MDs reported the highest knowledge increase (p<0.001), session relevance (p<0.001), looking up additional information(p<0.01), and sharing with colleagues (p<001). OCP were more likely to recommend sessions to colleagues (p<0.001) and change how they work with patients/community members (p=.01). We found a positive association between attendance frequency and knowledge increase (p&lt;0.001) and practice change (p<0.001).
Conclusion
The Sudan CMRT ECHO program led to a significant impact on participants, showcasing its effectiveness amongst various professions as to knowledge increase and change in practice. This study contributes valuable insights into virtual global health training effectiveness and future application to low- and middle-income countries.