Training Ghanaian frontline healthcare workers in public health surveillance and disease outbreak investigation and response.
BACKGROUND
Beyond initial formal academic education, the need for continuous professional development through in-service workforce capacity improvement programs that are aimed at enhancing knowledge and skills of public healthcare workers has assumed immense priority worldwide. This has been heightened by the on-going Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, which is exposing the weak public health systems in West Africa. In response to this need, the Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Program organized a short-course for frontline health workers in the Greater Accra region of Ghana in order to augment their surveillance and outbreak response capacity.


METHODS
Human and veterinary health workers were trained using Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program short course model. A two-week didactic course was conducted with a 10-week field placement. Evaluation of the course was done by assessment of participants' outputs during the training as well as pretest and posttest methods.


RESULTS
A total of 32 frontline health workers from both the human and veterinary health services benefited from the two-week initial training of the 12-week course. There was a significant gain in knowledge by the participants after the training course. Participants developed concept papers and implemented their fieldwork projects. Overall assessment of the workshop by the participants was very good.


CONCLUSIONS
Capacity of the health workers has been improved in the area of public health surveillance, outbreak investigation and response. We recommend a scale-up of this training course to other regions.
Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Donne Kofi
DK
Ameme
Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; Disease Control and Prevention Department, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Kofi Mensah
KM
Nyarko
Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Edwin Andrews
EA
Afari
Public Health Solutions, Ghana.
Simon
S
Antara
Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Samuel Oko
SO
Sackey
Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Fred
F
Wurapa
D057191:Capacity Building / Q000379:methods; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D004813:Epidemiology / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*
Ghana; Training Ghanaian; frontline health workers