At PCI we like to share news of our projects, as well as our views and opinions on a range of themes related to primary care. But what stories most caught your eye in 2021? Check-out the top 10 most-read news stories from last year – did you miss any of them?
- 1. Rethinking global healthworker education: the value of multi-directional learning Our most popular blog, this looked at what it means to ‘build capacity’ of healthcare workers globally? We know that clinical expertise must be matched with knowledge and appreciation of context – politics, policy, economy, culture. As resources are redirected to economic recovery from COVID-19, there is now an opportunity to radically rethink our approaches to learning and recalibrate current dynamics – especially as we move forward with developing our PCI Academy.
2. Going live: launching the PCI Academy Perhaps not surprisingly, our second most-read new story was about the official launch of our PCI Academy. The first cohort of learners joined our inaugural online NCD course, in partnership with UNHCR, in July 2020 – and we are delighted to hear positive feedback on its impact already.- 3. PCI’s Primary Care Perspectives series A bit of a cheat, as this includes a number of articles, but right near the top of the list was our co-authored ‘Primary Care Persepctives’ series. Launched when we realised the impact that Covid was going to have on primary care, and recently concluded, we published (some on PCI’s own website and some externally) a collection of opinion pieces drawing on our collective experience as primary care practitioners, as social justice advocates and as global citizens.
- 4. Strengthening virtual primary care across the Middle East: our new partnership with Altibbi This story shared news of our partnership with Altibbi, the leading digital health platform in the region. Altibbi telehealth practitioners have since been accessing content (accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners) – on a wide range of clinical topics for primary care.
5. Primary health workforce learning in an era of COVID-19: is digital delivery here to stay? This article, also shared by Business Fights Poverty, looked at the way in which COVID-19 forced us all to shift our ways of working, to rapidly innovate and adjust; with a focus on primary healthcare workers and how these frontline workers are themselves supported and able to learn. Are we now seeing a long-term fundamental shift in how primary health workforce strengthening and development will be done? Or will things be ‘back to normal’ in a year’s time? (Quick answer to the last question – no!)- 6. Our new partnership in Libya: strengthening the primary health system This article looked at our partnership with GIZ to promote a strengthened primary health workforce in Libya – focusing on the co-development of a national in-service training programme for the Ministry of Health in Libya.
- 7. Plastic bottles as inhaler spacers: improving the effectiveness of healthcare using clinical skills A surprising incusion as it was posted originally in 2018 – this blog shares our work with clinicians working in refugee settings in DRC with a focus on ways to improve clinical skills.
8. Managing Covid a year on: stigma, skills and solidarity. This blog is from Robert Edilu, one of PCI’s NCD champions from Uganda. Robert shared feedback on PCI’s COVID-19 training module, as well as discussing the broader impact of the pandemic on the community where he lives and works – in particular around stigma and morale.- 9. PCI appoints Dorcas Gwata as new Chair We were delighted to announce this news in October. Dorcas is a Clinical Mental Health Nurse Specialist, originally from Zimbabwe. She has worked widely in the UK’s NHS, and across Africa and Asia – find out more in the full article.
- 10. Post-Covid future for nurses: focus on leadership for long-term change Coming in at number 10 is a blog (co-hosted with Action for Global Health) written by 2 of PCI’s Clinical Associates for International Nurses Day in May. Kidest Nadew and Enrique Castro-Sánchez share their thoughts and experiences on what nurses globally need to thrive.
We hope you have enjoyed reading these updates and opinions. To stay in touch with future news and stories in 2022 please sign up to our newsletter (just below) or follow us on social media.