We are delighted to announce our new partnership with the Better Health Programme Mexico, supporting primary healthcare workers to tackle diabetes, with an initial focus on the state of Chiapas.
We will be developing e-learning courses for doctors and nurses focused on detection, diagnosis and treatment/management of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), as well as multidisciplinary and communications skills.
As is the case globally, the prevalence of chronic NCDs in Mexico is rising. Over 10% of the population had diabetes in 2016, compared with 7% in 2006 and the country has one of the highest rates of deaths attributable to diabetes and disability-adjusted life-years.[1]
Our work will support The Better Health Programme, an initiative of the British Embassy in Mexico, through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Prosperity Fund and operated by DAI. This Programme aims to support improvements in the performance of the Mexican health system in three areas: public health (focused on reducing obesity), primary health care (focused on reducing diabetes), and education and training.
We look forward to playing a role in strengthening local health system structures and workforce capacity to address the growing burden NCDs in Mexico, especially amongst the poorest communities.
In doing so we will draw on our experience of adapting NCD management content for clinicians and managers in a wide range of settings globally. Our approach is to combine evidence-based international best practice with national guidelines and regulatory frameworks to produce pragmatic, actionable learning content for clinicians.
The digital approach to learning at the centre of this project predates the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and is something that PCI is placing more centrally within its overall strategy to reach more healthcare workers. This is driven not only by developments in remote learning technologies but also by the desire to reduce our carbon footprint. The current restrictions that we are all experiencing has driven home just how important this approach will be over the coming months and beyond, as we begin to adjust to a ‘new normal’.
Alongside a series of e-learning modules, PCI will also be developing a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the impact of the e-learning on clinical practice, and a digital clinical decision-making tool to support clinicians to provide consistent, evidence-based care to their patients, aligned to the learning content.
“We are really looking forward to working with the Better Health Programme to build capacity for chronic disease management by primary healthcare workers across Mexico. We are proud to be contributing to the bold and transformative vision of the programme, and look forward to innovating alongside Mexican stakeholders to create meaningful impact and better health outcomes.” (Julia Beart, PCI’s Chief Executive Officer)
[1] The Lancet, Ending diabetes in Mexico, Leveillant M, Lievre G & Baert G. August 10 2019 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)31662-9/fulltext