Lessons Learnt Delivering a Novel Infectious Diseases National Training Programme to Timor‑Leste's Primary Care...

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Education

Background:

• Timor-Leste faces significant infectious disease threats.
• Strengthening primary care workforce capabilities is crucial for disease control.
• Limited professional development opportunities exist for healthcare workers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the development and delivery of a national infectious disease training program in Timor-Leste.
• To assess the effectiveness of the ASTEROID program in improving healthcare worker knowledge and practice.
• To provide a scalable model for infectious disease training in low- and middle-income countries.

Main Methods:

• A multi-modal, 1-week training program (ASTEROID) was developed and delivered by local doctors.
• Training utilized lectures, videos, interactive sessions, and a mobile application.
• 540 healthcare professionals across 37 facilities in all municipalities participated.

Main Results:

• Average test scores improved from 45% to 64% during training, reaching 79% at 12-month follow-up.
• Participants positively received the program, valuing local context and diverse methods.
• Challenges included delivering comprehensive content within a week for a workforce with limited prior development.

Conclusions:

• The ASTEROID program demonstrates a successful model for infectious disease training in Timor-Leste.
• The approach is adaptable for other low- and middle-income countries.
• Refinements based on implementation lessons can further enhance training effectiveness.