Improving provision of quality palliative care in French speaking African countries through e-learning

This e-learning course gives healthcare professionals in Africa access to internationally recognised expertise in palliative care. The course host in English is unique globally, and will be developed specifically for healthcare professionals in Francophone Africa.

The ecancer Global Foundation has developed a 20 module e-learning course in palliative care alongside experts from Cardiff University, the African Palliative Care Association and the University of Cape Town and support from the International Atomic Energy Agency. This course is currently available free in English through ecancer.org and has been used by over 10,000 healthcare professionals from across Africa.

ecancer is requesting funding to redevelop the course in French, re-developing all of the educational content in Africa with French-speaking doctors ensuring that the course is relevant for healthcare professionals treating patients with cancer and others needing palliative care in all Francophonic countries but has a particular focus on the requirements of African healthcare professionals. ecancer will work alongside leading experts from the African Palliative Care Association, AORTIC and ALIAM develop the key educational content of the modules based on the course which is currently in existence. The Foundation will then package these elements in the course structure, which already exists to form a 20 module course in palliative care that can be accessed through mobile phones as well as desktop computers.

The course is based on Cardiff University’s distance learning course in Palliative Medicine and Palliative Care developed by Baroness Professor Ilora Finlay and her team over the last seventeen years. Students from around the globe have taken the course as it has been developed to take into account the varying needs of healthcare professionals from different areas of the world with particular focus on low and middle-income countries. The course contains the following modules:

Basic Principles of Palliative Care
Overview of Malignant Disease
Medication
The role of Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Surgery
Pain Management
Palliative Care Emergencies
Symptom management: Confusion and Delirium
Symptom management: Constipation and Bowel obstruction
Symptom management: Nausea and vomiting
Symptom management: Respiratory symptoms
Symptom management: Skin and mouth care
Symptom management: Weakness, fatigue and loss of appetite
aediatric palliative care
Communication and Counselling skills
Ethics in Palliative Care
Spiritual Care
Psychosocial Care
End of Life Care
Grief and Bereavement
Resources

Our proposed solution gives access to high-quality education for free to anyone with access to the internet, whenever is suitable for them. The approach overcomes a number of challenges, including travel times and costs, other costs associated with attending training and a current lack of access to world class expertise and training.