About the course
Effective preparation for managing patients with DR TB requires both theoretical learning and practice and discussion under the oversight of experienced clinicians. This course is the compulsory theoretical study that needs to be successfully completed in order to enroll in a tutored online course or an in-person face-to-face course.
Target Audience
The target group for this training at the moment is only doctors managing patients with DR TB who have been accepted into a tutored online course or an in-person face-to-face course. The satisfactory completion of this course, including the acquiring of all badges, is a pre-requisite for engagement in either of these courses.
Duration
This course consists of eight modules, each of which requires 2-3 hours of study. It is entirely self-paced so the participant can do this entirely in their own time. It is however recommended that to maintain momentum, that the total study time is spread over no more than four weeks.
Learning Objectives
On successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- integrate DR-TB epidemiology when approaching potential TB cases.
- request and appropriately interpret DR-TB diagnosis tests.
- prescribe standardized or individualized DR-TB treatment regimens as per MSF guidelines.
- identify and manage barriers to and motivations for patients to complete DR-TB treatment.
- detect, manage, and report adverse events related to DR-TB treatment.
- adapt DR-TB management to specificities of paediatric patients (from diagnosis to follow-up)
- document DR-TB treatment correctly to ensure proper patient care and programmatic monitoring.
- detect and manage latent TB infection in contacts of DR-TB patients.
List of Contents
- Module 1. Epidemiology and Clinical Course of DR TB
- Module 2. Diagnosis of DR TB
- Module 3. Treatment of DR TB
- Module 4. Monitoring of DR TB Treatment
- Module 5. Adherence to DR TB Treatment
- Module 6. DR TB in Children
- Module 7. Latent DR TB and Contact Tracing
- Module 8. Documentation of DR TB
Methodology
During this course participants will study carefully prepared content drawn from the latest international guidelines. The teaching content, drawing on evidence-based teaching strategies, uses a combination of multimedia materials, including video, audio, text and animations. Short quizzes and a few short assignments are interspersed throughout all the modules to stimulate effective learning.
Evaluation and Certification
For successful completion of each module, participants are required to:
- read through all the course material.
- complete and submit their assignments. Brief feedback will be provided after successful submission.
- score 90% for all the quizzes. Please note that, when errors are made, participants may return to the text to find the correct answers and then repeat the quizzes as many times as needed.
On successful meeting of all the above criteria, badges and a certificate will automatically be issued.
Requirements/Prerequisites
You need to be a medical doctor or clinical officer, actively engaged in clinical decision-making in the management of patients with DR TB. Access to this course will be given only on acceptance for this course via the enrolment process explained in the next section.
Enrolment
In 2024, one course will be run in-person in French, in a West African country. It is likely to be in the first quarter on the year. A second course will be run as a tutored online course in English. Details of both will be announced before the end of November 2023. Application will be via the usual HR channels for national and expat staff.
Release and Update
This course was first released in 2022 but is constantly updated so that the content reflects the latest WHO and MSF guidelines. Its latest update was in February 2024.
OC Validation
This course is validated by the TB working group under the oversight and leadership of Dr. Cathy Hewison.
Technical Considerations
The course is best completed on a computer, laptop or tablet but it is also possible on a mobile if the screen size is large enough. In order to ensure that there always a fully up to date version of this course, it is not downloadable and therefore can only be viewed online. Access to good quality internet is therefore essential.