The National TB Programme (NTP) of Guinea Bissau recently utilised The Union's course materials on the interpretation of CXR in children with presumptive TB. Originally an online course, these materials were translated into Portuguese and used for in-person training sessions for healthcare professionals.
Dr Marcela Tommasi, an international consultant, was engaged by the NTP to develop paediatric TB guidelines and training materials for a five-day course on childhood TB. She collaborated with local experts and requested permission from The Union to translate and incorporate our materials into the training.
The training took place from 26 to 30 November 2024, with 25 medical doctors from across Guinea Bissau attending. The aim was to address the underdiagnosis of TB in children, who currently make up only 4% of notified TB cases.
Participants highly appreciated the course on interpreting chest X-rays, as there is a significant knowledge gap in this area. While the full impact of the training will take time to assess, initial results showed improvements in pre- and post-test scores. The NTP is also forming a paediatric TB committee and has created a WhatsApp group for ongoing support and case discussions.
Thank you for the modules and the clarity of the manual. The radiography manual should be translated into Portuguese to facilitate participation in the online course.
An interactive and didactic course that will enable the diagnosis of more TB cases. The challenge will be applying this knowledge in facilities lacking X-ray equipment. More training is needed in our high-burden country.
The NTP plans to extend the training in-country from February 2025.
The Union is proud to see our training materials being widely used and proving helpful to healthcare workers. We are seeking funding to create an eLearning course in Portuguese to benefit healthcare workers in other Portuguese-speaking countries. If your organisation is interested in financing this project, please get in touch at unioncourses@theunion.org