Ebola Health Action Team (E.H.A.T)
Strengthening Health Care Capacities
Duke Ebola Innovation Challenge Team:
Sulzhan Bali | Ph.D. - MSc-GH, DGHI- India
Lyttleton Braima | B.Sc. Econ. - MIDP, Sanford School of Policy- Sierra Leone
Bolun Li | BS Mathematics - MSc-GH, DGHI- China
Lily Martyn | BA Epidemiology - MSc-GH, DGHI- USA
Naman Pandey | B.Tech - IT, MS - Engg Mgmt, Pratt School of Engg- India
Starling Shan | BA Intl Relations & Communications - MSc-GH, DGHI- China
November 2, 2014
E.H.A.T - Strengthening Healthcare Workers Capacity
Current Situation & Challenge
Healthcare Worker
Shortage
HCWs Protection
Controlling
Ebola Outbreak
Key Force
HCWs
Lack of Incentive
HR Gap
Community Stigma
Key Facts
•
•
Our Solution
People Deliver Health
World Bank Estimation: another 5000 health care workers are
needed in West Africa
Increase Public
Health
Awareness
Building Capacity
for Future
Outbreaks
E.H.A.T
Ebola Healthcare-worker Action Training
EHAT Training
EHAT Certification
EHAT training
EHAT KIT
Provides essential tools for
field work
How Will E.H.A.T. Work
E.H.A.T. Training
Increase the number of HCWs and build health
system capacity in long-term
E.H.A.T. Kit
Provide HCWs with inexpensive but essential
tools for personal protection during delivery work
1) Recruit previously trained HCWs and community volunteers
1) Oral Rehydration Sachets (EHAT-ORS)
2) Ensure 1 team (10-20 HCWs) per catchment (rural) or per
2) Pocket book in local language with standard protocols
zone (urban)
2) Provide 3 levels of certificate (monetary incentives for level 1
and career opportunities for level 3)
3) Temperature Monitor (continuous temperature sensing
with button for emergency and connected to analog
phone)
3) Train the team in standardized protocol and buddy system
4) Analog Phone
4) Repeat the training every 6 month at designated community
5) Hand Sanitizer
centers
Why will EHAT succeed?
Sustainable, Scalable, Cost-effective & Holistic Solution
 Fill the gap of HCW shortage and address
issues of recruitment, retention, and inequitable
distribution of HCWS in Ebola stricken areas
 Ensure access to medicine and tools; increase
HCWs motivation with supplies
 Training in standard protocol for EHAT Kit
usage and disease management can be duplicate
at other community centers
 Easy copy of 3 level of certificates with WHO
support to gain international qualification
Tools are inexpensive but essential
 Hand Sanitizer (< $1)
 Oral Rehydration Sachets (< $1)
 Analog Phone (<$15)
 Temperature Monitor ($6-$10)
 Reduce community stigma of Ebola and gain
pride to be HCWs through spreading awareness
by EHAT member from catchment
 Training will provide HCWs with skills required
to work as HCWs for other diseases like childhood
infectious diseases, HIV, TB
Challenges
Community applicability
How can EHAT be customized to each country’s
needs?
Understanding the root & stigma of Ebola fear
Are diagnostic capabilities available at PHU?
Partnerships, recruitment
& retain of HCWs
How can we strengthen public-private
partnership?
Our idea focuses on recruiting and retaining
HCWs to build health systems capacity in the
Ebola stricken areas
Understanding the HCW shortage and HCW
distribution in each country
Understanding these components in greater
detail will help better adapt our design, integrate
into the current healthcare structure, and
effectively leverage healthcare workers.
Additional information- PPE & the EHAT Monitor
Source: Personal communication with Avantari founder
• Measures temperature
• Hypoallergenic clip
• 3d battery life
• Analog phone
compatible, 15 USD
• Inexpensive: < 6-10 USD
Source: Avantari,
manufacturer
Reflection
Hard Work
Different backgrounds, ONE
attribute - on Halloween night,
we gathered in the living room,
costumed as community health
workers, and came up with the
ultimate solution for Ebola
CHW.
Knowledge
We discussed like we were in a model stakeholders
meeting, with perspectives from many sides; there
are views from a politician, epidemiologist,
technician, economist, business-minded woman,
and journalist digging into/questioning all the ideas.
Our explosion of ideas were well seasoned through
rethinking, refining, and reflecting, eventually
becoming the ultimate E.H.A.P strategy.
Collaboration
It is never easy for a six-headed
dragon to attack the same target, but
once it does, the target will hardly
escape – and our target is EBOLA!
We conclude with a graph that
suggests to you how to tame a sixheaded dragon: basically you need
three things – knowledge, hard work
and collaboration.
Thank you’s & Outtakes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Monitoring healthcare worker’s vitals by regular weekly
checkups
Ebola Socks - Water resistant, Modeled on Leech Socks
Providing clean water in form of Water Packets to affected
areas by government
Temperature monitoring watches
Shoes with anti-perspirant; Laundry bleach + foot powder
Troops and military for HCWs safety
Sending pictures to doctors for better treatment results
Appendix: Understanding the System
PHU (primary health unit/peripheral health unit): lowest tier of health service
delivery in rural areas:
1.
Maternal and Child Health Post (MCHP): ideally should service 500 – 5,000
people in villages within a 3-mile radius
2.
Community health post (CHP) should service about 5,000 – 10,000 people
in villages within 5-mile radius
3.
Community Health Center (CHC) should service about 10,000 – 30,000
people in villages within 5 – 10-mile radius
MCHP and CHP are at village level
CHC at chiefdom headquarters
District hospitals are the main referral centers for the village and chiefdom level facilities.
District Hospitals are Located in District Headquarter towns.
● In big towns and cities, target local council wards or divide the city/town into zones to ease operation (management and
coordination).
● Private and faith based health clinics/health centers in big towns/cities.