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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hopkins Develops "Tools for Life" Health Worker Kit On-LineIn an unusual electronic experiment, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs is using the Internet to pretest and develop a selection of materials for front-line community health workers. As of Tuesday, August 4, 1998, visitors to the site will be able to send their feedback to the Hopkins' "Tools for Life" project designers via electronic mail (E-mail). "The idea is to use the Internet as a kind of global pretest. Although the kit is initially designed for health workers in Africa, we eventually want health workers anywhere in the world to adapt it for their use," says Susan Krenn, Chief of the JHU/PCS Africa Division. Following the Internet pretest, health workers in Anglophone and Francophone African countries will use the "Tools for Life" kit to help them develop health messages for their local communities. The kit draws on lessons learned from similar kits developed for health workers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia. "Tools for Life" includes participatory health education materials for safe motherhood, nutrition and infant health, diarrhea prevention, and prevention and treatment of common illnesses and diseases, as well as reproductive health information including family planning. Visitors can write suggestions in comment boxes that appear at the end of each page. The names of those who visit the web site and offer written comment will be posted on the Internet. Project designers will respond via E-mail to specific questions or concerns that people may have about the kit. Internet visitors will be asked to review draft text for 28 health activity cards and 40 information cards. The cards feature questions and key health messages that are designed to generate discussion with community members on the various health topics. Digital photographs and a training guide will be added in coming months. Feedback gathered from the Internet pretest will be incorporated into a final "Tools for Life" kit which will be posted on the Internet later this year. "Putting the kit on the Internet makes it affordable and adaptable to local needs. When the kit is completed, health organizations will be able to download "Tools for Life," modify it to meet local needs, reproduce it, and distribute it to their health workers," says Ms. Krenn. The kit will be available in both English and French, making it appropriate for most African nations. "Tools for Life" is designed by The Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication Services project in collaboration with the Academy for Educational Development with technical review from leading international health organizations. The United States Agency for International Development is funding the project. A CD-ROM version as well as printed copies will be available in early 1999. For more information contact: Joan Tarasevich jtarasev@jhuccp.org (410-659-6397) or Benedict Tisa btisa@aed.org (202-884-8155). |
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