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EDUCATION AND TRAINING Education and training is one of the focus areas of the Child Health Unit and includes academic postgraduate and undergraduate training and continuing medical education to health service providers. ACADEMIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE The Unit is involved in providing class lectures, seminars and clinical bedside to teaching to medical students in their fifth and sixth years of study. A focus is placed on child health, infectious diseases (especially tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS), nutrition, disability and development and adolescence. Seminars are also given to students in occupational and physiotherapy. POSTGRADUATE M Phil The Masters of Philosophy programme in Maternal and Child Health (M.Phil. (MCH)) aims to develop the capacity of health service providers to plan, manage, deliver, and evaluate maternal and child health services at the district and regional level. The component courses include Applied MCH, Organisation and Management, Epidemiology and Research Methods, Psycho-social Context of MCH, Health and Development, and Information and Communication Technology. The programme uses a combination of distance and face-to-face learning methods. The programme is a collaborative effort of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health with the departments of Social Science, Psychology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Adult Education, and Management Studies at the University of Cape Town; the University of the Western Cape; the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Core funding has been provided by the Canadian International Development Aid Agency (CIDA). Registrar Training Training is provided in the form of clinical bedside teaching and seminars to paediatric registrars. Other Members of the unit also provide training to doctors undertaking the Diploma in Child Health (DCH) and health service providers who are enrolled on short courses at the University of the Western Cape including rural and farm health and micronutrients. CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION  Continuing medical education and training is mainly provided to primary health care nurses and doctors. These are in the form of: · Regional Workshops on nutrition, development and disability, tuberculosis, HIV and common childhood illnesses · Developmental screening workshops · Griffiths course · Public talks CASE MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES AND TRAINING MATERIALS The paediatric provincial reference group was established to develop case management guidelines for doctors and nurses working at the primary level of care. The WHO guidelines on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness are adapted for local use. Training manuals have also been developed for implementation of the guidelines in the different regions of the Western Cape. Members of the Child Health Unit are part of the group and assist in its co-ordination. Case management guidelines were developed on: 1. Diarrhoea 2. Acute Lower Respiratory infection 3. Asthma 4. Meningitis 5. Upper respiratory infection 6. Growth monitoring 7. Management of malnutrition 8. Vitamin A supplementation 9. Child Abuse 10. Management of the critically ill child INTERACTIVE LEARNING MATERIALS The Child Health Unit, MSH Equity and the Provincial Departments of Health (E Cape, N Cape and W Cape) have developed booklets, using an interactive approach, on priority child health conditions for primary health care service providers. The booklets have been developed in collaboration with the National Directorate of Maternal, Child and Women's Health. They cover topics such as an introduction to Integrated Management of Childhood Illness, Immunisation, Diarrhoea, Acute Respiratory Infection and Promoting Healthy Growth. These booklets will soon be available for distribution to the different provinces. For more information about Education and Training contact: Dr M Hendricks |
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For more information about CHU activities contact: Professor Marian Jacobs |
