The Robert Koch Institute (RKI): main building in Berlin. more
Germany’s Public Health institute RKI monitors the population’s health and wellbeing. more
The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health. more
In February of 2020, the Public Health Laboratory Support unit (ZIG 4) of the Centre for International Health Protection (ZIG) at the Robert Koch Institute received funding from the Federal Ministry of Health to train African partner countries on SARS-COV-2 specific diagnostics. Initially, the training was to be delivered in three distinct African sites as regional trainings including participants from neighboring countries. In each site, the training was to last one or two weeks, and train up to eight laboratory technicians in SARS-COV-2 diagnostics per week.
During the preparation of this project, and with the evolving COVID-19 situation, travel restrictions were imposed, prohibiting trainers as well as participants from reaching the training sites and delivering the training. With the new situation, ZIG 4 modified the training to be delivered online. Despite the pandemic, ZIG 4 managed to partner with WHO AFRO/EMRO and Africa CDC to engage a large number of laboratory technicians from several countries in Africa to participate in the training. Laboratory technicians from Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia also participated in the training. A SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostic online training was assumed to have a large impact on the readiness to fight and control COVID-19 as well as future similar pandemics.
To assess the extent to which this training has had the desired effect, especially given that the delivery mode changed from its initial concept and that the demand has exceeded the original expectations vis-à-vis the size of the target audience, the Evidence-based Public Health unit (ZIG 2) designed a triangulated mixed methods research strategy to study the SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostic online training designed and delivered by RKI’s ZIG 4.
Using key informant interviews, social network analysis, and an online survey, ZIG 2 researchers assessed the perceived usefulness and efficiency of the online training. Data was obtained from partners in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, and Zambia.
Date: 08.05.2023
