Introduction of a learning management system at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College

Background. Medical schools in Africa face daunting challenges including faculty shortages, growing class sizes, and inadequate resources. Learningmanagement systems (LMS) may be powerful tools for organising and presenting curricular learning materials, with the potential for monitoring and evaluation functions.Objective. To introduce a LMS for the first-year medical student curriculum at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMU Co), inMoshi, Tanzania, in partnership with the Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, North Carolina, USA).Methods. Observations were made on the requisite information technology (IT) infrastructure and human resource needs, and participation in trainingexercises. LMS utilisation was recorded, and two (student and faculty) surveys were done.Results. The KCMU Co IT infrastructure was upgraded, and an expert team trained for LMS implementation. An introductory LMS workshop forfaculty had 7 out of 25 invitees, but attendance improved to more than 50% in subsequent workshops. Student attendance at workshops was mandatory. Use of the LMS by students rapidly expanded, and growing faculty utilisation followed later. By the end of the second semester, online examinations were offered, resulting in greater student and faculty  satisfaction owing to rapid availability of results. A year after LMS   introduction, 90% of students were accessing the LMS at least 4 days/week. A student survey identified high levels of satisfaction with the LMS software, quality of content, and learning enhancement.Conclusion. LMS can be a useful and efficient tool for curriculum  organisation, administration of online examinations, and continuous monitoring. The lessons learned from KCMU Co may be useful for similar academic settings

The surgical pathology laboratory in Mwanza, Tanzania: A survey on the reproducibility of diagnoses after the first years of autonomous activity

Background: In 2000, an Italian non-governmental organisation (NGO) began a 9-year project to establish a surgical pathology laboratory at the Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) in Mwanza, Tanzania, a country with a low Human Development Index (HDI), and as of 2009, the laboratory was operating autonomously. The present survey aims to evaluate the reproducibility of histological and cytological diagnoses assigned in the laboratory's early years of autonomous activity. We selected a random sample of 196 histological and cytological diagnoses issued in 2010-2011 at the BMC surgical pathology laboratory. The corresponding samples were sent to Italy for review by Italian senior pathologists, who were blinded to the local results. Samples were classified into four diagnostic categories: malignant, benign, inflammatory, and suspicious. The two-observer kappa-statistic for categorised (qualitative) data was then calculated to measure diagnostic concordance between the local Tanzanian pathologists and Italian senior pathologists. The k-Cohen was calculated for concordance in the overall study sample. Concordance and discordance rates were also stratified by subset: general adult, paediatric/adolescent, and lymphoproliferative histopathological diagnoses; fluid and fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytological diagnoses; and PAP tests. Discordance was also categorised by the corresponding hypothetical clinical implications: high, intermediate, and not significant. Results: Overall concordance was 85.2% (167 of 196 diagnoses), with a k-Cohen of 0.7691 (P = 0.0000). Very high concordance was observed in the subsets of adult general pathological diagnoses (90%) and paediatric/adolescent pathological diagnoses (91.18%). Concordance in the subset of PAP tests was 75%, and for fluid/FNA cytological diagnoses it was 56.52%. Concordance among 12 histological subtypes of lymphoma was 75.86%, with substantial discordance observed in the diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma (five cases diagnosed by Italian pathologists versus 2 by local pathologists). The overall proportion of discordance with high hypothetical clinical implications was 6.1% (12 diagnoses). Conclusion: This blind review of diagnoses assigned in Tanzania, a country with low HDI, and in Italy, a country with a very high HDI, seemed to be a sensitive and effective method to identify areas of potential error and may represent a reference point for future, more detailed quality control processes or audits of surgical pathology services located in limited-resource regions

Complex therapy for hepatic trauma

Background: Hepatic trauma is a major cause of death in abdominal injury patients. This study was aimed at investigating the outcome of management of 197 patients presenting with hepatic injuries. Methods: This was a retrospective study of all patients treated for hepatic injuries at Oilu Hospital from January 1980 to January 1999 and at Dodoma Regional Hospital from January 1990 to January 2001.Seven patients were treated non-surgically while 188 had surgery. Conservative treatment included absolute bed rest, replacement and stabilization of the blood capacity, anti-inflammation drugs and styptic. Surgical procedures for patients with grade III and IV hepatic trauma included packing with omentum and repair of liver lacerations, debridment or irregular hepatectomy under Pringle's maneuver, perihepatic tamponade with or without selective ligation of hepatic artery and post hepatic vein repair together with T-tube and perihepatic drainage. Results: There were 30 deaths (15.3% mortality rate). All the seven patients treated conservatively survived. The main cause of death was exsanguination with or without coagulopathy, multiple organ failure (MOSF) and associated injuries. Conc1usion:The basic operative principles for liver injuries are thorough debridment and haemostasis, elimination of bile leakage and unobstructed drainage

The urinary diversion in children with bladder exstrophy and epispadias: alternative to primary bladder closure.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of management of bladder exstrophy and epispadias with continent urinary diversion. A total of 15 children, 10 females and 5 males underwent continent urinary diversion at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) between 1985 and 1997. Their ages ranged between one month and 13 years with an average of 5.4 years. Eight (53%) of them had exstrophy epispadias complex, 4 (27%) had incontinent epispadias, 2 (13%) presented with neurological conditions and 1 (7%) had traumatic destruction of the bladder neck and urethra. Seven (47%) had Mainz pouch II procedure, 6 (40%) underwent the classical ureterosigmoidostomy while 2 (13%) had appendicovesicostomy. The mean duration of follow up was 3.2 years. Three patients developed mild non-progressive hydronephrosis, which required no surgical intervention. One patient with a solitary kidney developed ureteral stenosis at the implantation site that was undiverted. Metabolic acidosis was well compensated with none of the patients requiring sodium bicarbonate supplements. Only one patient had night soiling that required wearing of diapers. Our experience with continent urinary diversion in children with other benign bladder conditions has been favourable and in our view, it offers a viable treatment method in children with exstrophy epispadia complex

Modified ureterosigmoidostomy for management of malignant and non-malignant conditions

Objective: To investigate the outcome of Mainz Pouch II urinary diversion for both malignant and non-malignant diseases.Design: A retrospective analysis.Setting: Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Institute of Urology, Moshi, Tanzania from April 1995 to May 2007.Patients: Mainz Pouch II was created in 83 patients of which, 38 were females and 45 were males (M:F 1.2:1).Results: Early complications were seen in 11 (13.2%) patients, as follows: one (1.2%) prolonged ileus, 1(1.2%) wound dehiscence, two (2.4%) perioperative deaths among the malignant group, seven (8.4%)superficial wound sepsis. Long term complications were seen in 14 (16.9%) patients, as follows: one (1.2%) patient developed an incision hernia, one (1.2%) patient developed unilateral pyelonephritis, one (1.2%) patient developed unilateral ureteral stenosis, two (2.4%) patients had deterioration of renal function, three (3.6%) patients developed mild to moderate unilateral hydronephrosis, three (3.6%) patients developed mucoceles. Among the 83 patients in this series, three (3.6%) patientsdeveloped metabolic acidosis, two (2.4%) of which, required oral bicarbonate supplementation. All (100%) patients had daytime continence while three (3.6%) patients had occasional night time incontinence. Overall total continence was achieved in 80 (96.4%) of the patients.Conclusion: The Mainz Pouch II is a safe and reproducible method of urinary diversion and serves as a satisfying method of continent urinary diversion in all age groups. This reconstructive surgery enabled the afflicted to achieve personal goals, hopes and aspirations, positively influencing theirquality of life. The follow up show low complication rate with good results in terms of continence and quality of life, however, long term results remain to be evaluated

Comparing in-person, blended and virtual training interventions; a real-world evaluation of HIV capacity building programs in 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

We sought to evaluate the impact of transitioning a multi-country HIV training program from in-person to online by comparing digital training approaches implemented during the pandemic with in-person approaches employed before COVID-19. We evaluated mean changes in pre-and post-course knowledge scores and self-reported confidence scores for learners who participated in (1) in-person workshops (between October 2019 and March 2020), (2) entirely asynchronous, Virtual Workshops [VW] (between May 2021 and January 2022), and (3) a blended Online Course [OC] (between May 2021 and January 2022) across 16 SSA countries. Learning objectives and evaluation tools were the same for all three groups. Across 16 SSA countries, 3023 participants enrolled in the in-person course, 2193 learners participated in the virtual workshop, and 527 in the online course. The proportions of women who participated in the VW and OC were greater than the proportion who participated in the in-person course (60.1% and 63.6%, p<0.001). Nursing and midwives constituted the largest learner group overall (1145 [37.9%] vs. 949 [43.3%] vs. 107 [20.5%]). Across all domains of HIV knowledge and self-perceived confidence, there was a mean increase between pre- and post-course assessments, regardless of how training was delivered. The greatest percent increase in knowledge scores was among those participating in the in-person course compared to VW or OC formats (13.6% increase vs. 6.0% and 7.6%, p<0.001). Gains in self-reported confidence were greater among learners who participated in the in-person course compared to VW or OC formats, regardless of training level (p<0.001) or professional cadre (p<0.001). In this multi-country capacity HIV training program, in-person, online synchronous, and blended synchronous/asynchronous strategies were effective means of training learners from diverse clinical settings. Online learning approaches facilitated participation from more women and more diverse cadres. However, gains in knowledge and clinical confidence were greater among those participating in in-person learning programs

The Critical Need for Pooled Data on COVID-19 in African Children: An AFREhealth Call for Action through Multi-Country Research Collaboration.

Globally, there are prevailing knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and adolescents; however, these gaps are especially wide in African countries. The availability of robust age-disaggregated data is a critical first step in improving knowledge on disease burden and manifestations of COVID-19 among children. Furthermore, it is essential to improve understanding of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with comorbidities and co-infections such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, sickle cell disease and malnutrition, which are highly prevalent among children in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) COVID-19 Research Collaboration on Children and Adolescents is conducting studies across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa to address existing knowledge gaps. This consortium is expected to generate key evidence to inform clinical practice and public health policymaking for COVID-19, while concurrently addressing other major diseases affecting children in African countries

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection and Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A 6-Country Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Few data are available on COVID-19 outcomes among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where high-risk comorbidities are prevalent. We investigated the impact of pregnancy on SARS-CoV-2 infection and of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnancy to generate evidence for health policy and clinical practice. We conducted a 6-country retrospective cohort study among hospitalized women of childbearing age between 1 March 2020 and 31 March 2021. Exposures were (1) pregnancy and (2) a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. The primary outcome for both analyses was intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Secondary outcomes included supplemental oxygen requirement, mechanical ventilation, adverse birth outcomes, and in-hospital mortality. We used log-binomial regression to estimate the effect between pregnancy and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Factors associated with mortality were evaluated using competing-risk proportional subdistribution hazards models. Our analyses included 1315 hospitalized women: 510 pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2, 403 nonpregnant women with SARS-CoV-2, and 402 pregnant women without SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, pregnancy was associated with increased risk for ICU admission (adjusted risk ratio [aRR]: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.42-4.01), oxygen supplementation (aRR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.44-2.42), and hazard of in-hospital death (adjusted sub-hazard ratio [aSHR]: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.08-3.70). Among pregnant women, SARS-CoV-2 infection increased the risk of ICU admission (aRR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.20-3.35), oxygen supplementation (aRR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.17-2.11), and hazard of in-hospital death (aSHR: 5.03; 95% CI: 1.79-14.13). Among hospitalized women in SSA, both SARS-CoV-2 infection and pregnancy independently increased risks of ICU admission, oxygen supplementation, and death. These data support international recommendations to prioritize COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women