Human Resources Development
GDS staff have pioneered in HRD, notably in skills acquisition. Our twin aims are: 1) efficiency, as measured in direct costs and time lost in patient care, and 2) effectiveness, as determined by rigorous tests of professional competence. Two examples:
Computer-based training
Working with collaborators in CDC and AID/W/Health, GDS staff created one of the first computer-based training programs in primary care. The topic was WHO's Integrated Management of Childhood Illness. The advantages were threefold: 1) Self-pacing, 2) constant and immediate feedback/reinforcement, and 3) the program adjusted the instruction where consistent deficiencies were detected.​
​
Field trials were conducted in Kenya and Uganda. Compared to WHO's conventional in-class IMCI course, the CBT trainees achieved the same scores on competency-based exams, reported higher satisfaction with the experience, were away from their workplace for a shorter period, and the cost per trainee was one-third less.
Distance learning
Distance learning is not new; however, successful distance learning is, sadly, not common. Completion rates rarely exceed 20 percent of initial enrollees.
​
In Indonesia GDS staff developed a 6-8 week distance learning course in Quality Assurance in collaboration
with Universitas Terbuka (The Open University) and the MoH.
​
The course design tapped into two strong preferences of health workers in Indonesia. The first was a preference to work and learn in teams. The second was a universal preference for tangible incentives – in this case a small amount of money if the team as a whole performed well.
​
The results: Over 90 percent of the eligible health workers – 1,117 – completed the course. A difficult final examination was set and 89 percent passed. The cost per trainee was US$18. This was the most successful distance learning program in Open University’s experience.