Truly Long Distance Learning in the Pacific Islands
Imagine
that you are a healthcare worker--a nurse, a doctor, a technician--on
a Pacific island, a very remote island. Now, before you conjure up images
of a sweet life of luxury, understand that you face life and death situations
among your fellow islanders fairly often. They fall critically ill, but
you lack the training and equipment to deal with their specific illness
or injury. Understand, too, that the island has no airstrip, and the nearest
medical center is a one-week boat trip away. To complicate matters further,
the only communications system is a radiotelephone with very expensive per-minute
charges. Did we mention that the island has no electricity?
Few parts of the earth are more deserving of distance learning, and in few other places does the term "distance" earn its name. Altogether, the island countries of the Western Pacific Region stretch over some 10 million square miles of ocean. Helping healthcare professionals deal effectively with epidemics of cholera and dengue fever or modern diseases of diabetes and hypertension and helping them improve their skills and healthcare knowledge was the goal of a recent Hezel Associates project for the World Health Organization.
The area is an obvious candidate for distance learning, but digital divide barriers impede technology development. Computers and other learning technologies are in short supply in ministries of health and health centers. On- and off-island telecommunications is expensive, as is Internet access. Teacher training for technology use is limited, too.
Is distance learning appropriate for the region? Yes, but we took a slightly more expanded view and considered "open learning"--including not only technology based instruction, but also print based learning and tutoring/mentoring. The rubric of "telehealth" includes distance learning about healthcare issues, telemedicine, and medical informatics. We focused on distance learning and information systems.
A needs assessment was the first step in the development of an open learning service. Working with WHO's regional office staff in Manila and Fiji, Richard Hezel was joined by Steve Baxendale of PREL in Hawaii. In June and July they conducted site visits in seven island countries, meeting with ministers of health, doctors, nursing school staff, rural health center post workers, and many other healthcare professionals. The seven countries--Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, and Guam--provided just a sample of the challenges all Pacific countries face in keeping their healthcare providers up to date on healthcare information, methods, and techniques.
Later,
in October, we met in Fiji with representatives of some 18 countries to
present the needs assessment findings and to map strategies for the development
of a region-wide open learning service.
Hezel Associates recognizes the current and future challenges, such as lack of affordable telecommunications and appropriate curriculum, this project faces. Yet, in the long history of our company, we have encountered few projects so worthy of a thorough distance learning initiative.