Continuing Medical Education Solutions: Building Access to Healthcare Knowledge in a Resource-Constrained Country.

Abstract

Keeping up-to-date is imperative for healthcare workers, given the rapidly evolving nature of modern medicine. However, this task is logistically challenging in resource-constrained settings where electricity and internet access are unreliable. Continuing Medical Education Solutions is a series of technology solutions developed by Techies Without Borders (TWB) to bridge this gap. The technology enables improved access to high-quality medical education and point-of-care resources for healthcare professionals in low-resource settings worldwide. TWB has partnered with multiple healthcare institutions in The Gambia, a low-income country in West Africa, to enhance care quality by providing better access to evidence-based medical knowledge. In the Gambia, as with many resource-constrained nations, registered nurses are often the most qualified medical providers at a facility. They frequently function, essentially, as nurse practitioners. They are tasked with organizing community health initiatives, running clinics, and identifying and managing disease throughout the lifespan despite lacking the formal training as an advanced practice registered nurse. Given this, they benefit significantly from the increased educational materials provided by TWB. This article showcases the form and structure of the partnership between The Gambia and TWB. This relationship will continue to blossom and bear fruit in the form of improved patient outcomes and potentially pave the way for the formal implementation of nurse practitioners in a very low-resource setting, where access to essential resources is a critical public health problem.