National Electronic Dispensing Tool Training Report, June 2015

The database application helps pharmacy staff to efficiently manage patients and antiretroviral medicines (ARVs). This includes monitoring of patients' adherence to ART, retention in care, dispensing history, regimen and status changes, appointments keeping, and maintaining a good inventory of ARVs. There are currently about 50 EDT sites across the 14 regions of Namibia, including hospitals, health centers, and clinics. As of March 2015, these sites reported a national figure of 136,324 patients on ART, of which approximately eight percent are pediatric patients. The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) continues to decentralize ART services to primary health care (PHC) clinics and health centers through the nurse-initiated and managed ART (NIMART) program to bring medicines closer to rural communities. The USAID-funded Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program continues to support the MoHSS to roll out the Electronic Dispensing Tool (EDT) mobile data collection terminals to PHC level. These terminals, referred to as EDT Mobiles, are used to collect dispensing data at outreach and PHC facilities, and merge it into the main site's EDT database system. Data from all EDT main sites are routinely collated and aggregated at national level into the national database (NDB). Efficient use of the EDT Mobile reduces waiting times for clients, eliminates the burden of managing a paper-based system, improves stock management by PHC facilities, and improves data quality for the ART program. In April 2015, the MoHSS' Division: Pharmaceutical Services (Div: PhSs) requested technical assistance (TA) from SIAPS to conduct a national EDT and EDT Mobile training. The planning team comprising SIAPS, the Directorate of Special Programs (DSP), and Div: PhSs resolved to host the training in June 2015. All logistical arrangements and trainees' Per Diems were internally organized by MoHSS' Div: PhSs and the DSP. The workshop took place at Heja Game Lodge in Khomas region and was aimed at training pharmacy staff working at the 50 public-sector ART Pharmacies across the country, including those working in regions with a high HIV burden. SIAPS trained 43 staff, including pharmacists, pharmacists' assistants, and nurses on the use of the EDT and EDT Mobile from 16 – 18 June 2015. The specific objectives of the training intervention were to hold National EDT Training planning meetings with MoHSS (Div: PhSs and the DSP), and to conduct the training. The purpose of the national EDT training was to train the MoHSS healthcare workers stationed at the 50 public sector ART pharmacies countrywide on the use of the EDT and EDT Mobile for efficient patient and stock management to optimize ART service delivery to improve health outcomes.