Working paper : strengthening patient education for ORT [oral rehydration therapy] services in the Central African Republic

Based on these results, the Ministry of Health (MOH) designed an in-service training program that promoted education as an integral component of curative care. The training program was implemented in all five health regions of the country. An evaluation of the training"s impact on the delivery of patient education indicated dramatic increases in the number of messages health workers communicated to mothers. This experience demonstrated that patient education can be improved through in-service training that integrates the teaching of clinical and communication skills. Additional study in the Central African Republic is needed to further improve the quality of patient education for diarrhea and other childhood communicable diseases; determine the impact of patient education on the care provided by mothers in the home following a clinic visit; and assess how operational research can be conducted within the limitations of in-service training programs and routine clinical operations. (Author abstract)