ICT4HEALTH: THE CASE FOR E-LEARNING AS A PLATFORM FOR CONTINUING MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION

Abstract

There exists a need to train healthcare workers on key issues in mental health, including substance use, which

is on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa. Education approaches to be used must be cost-effective and innovative

enough to secure buy-in from all stakeholders. E-learning is one such approach. It has been used to successfully

improve knowledge and skills of healthcare providers in the USA and Europe. A mentor-supported web-based

training course on Substance Use Disorder prevention and treatment was piloted in 15 health facilities. Of 206

healthcare workers who signed up, only half completed. There was higher uptake of the e-learning content and

platform among community health workers compared to nurses and clinical officers, as they performed better

in the evaluations. After the training, the healthcare providers were able to include screening for substance use

disorders into routine primary care services. The success of this initiative makes e-learning an important strat

egy for continuing mental health education (CME) in Kenya, which suffers a shortage not only of mental health

practitioners but also healthcare workers competent to assess and treat mental health disorders.