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 “How To Teach Health” THERE EXISTS A MODEL OF COMMUNITY-­‐BASED, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE IT IS A MODEL THAT ENGAGES COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ITS PROVISION: “THE TRAINING AND ACCOMPANYING OF HEALTH PROMOTER PRACTITIONERS” In the U.S., the term “health promoter” often refers to individuals who provide health education and basic health care follow-­‐up under the strict supervision of a medical doctor. In the regions of Latin America where Concern America works, these Health Promoter Practitioners’ depth of knowledge, skills, and ability to provide primary health care, in their native languages, is comparable to the work of physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the U.S. As a result, in villages located hours away from health care centers and whose residents earn less than $2.00/day, high-­‐quality, low-­‐cost health care is a reality, saving and sustaining innumerable lives, using few resources. In places like Chiapas, Mexico; Petén, Guatemala; and the Lower Atrato region of Colombia, the health care providers who give daily care in hundreds of villages and towns are not doctors or nurses but rather Health Promoter Practitioners. These amazing community health care providers, many with less than three years of primary school, have been successfully trained as their communities’ medical practitioners who diagnose and treat patients, administer a wide range of medicines, and even perform surgeries like the tendon repair described above. The series of books, entitled CÓMO ENSEÑAR SOBRE LA SALUD, employs the wisdom of Paulo Freire’s pedagogy, building on each student’s knowledge and understanding when teaching complicated medical concepts and procedures. There are 35 books in all and three levels of training: a teacher’s guide and a student handbook for each health care theme (e.g., Digestive System) taught over three years. What is described, presented, and taught in CÓMO ENSEÑAR SOBRE LA SALUD has been fashioned by and in use by Concern America field teams in Latin America over more than 30 years and found to be extraordinarily effective in providing quality primary health care to impoverished, rural, isolated communities. We want to multiply this model, which is why Concern America is writing CÓMO ENSEÑAR SOBRE LA SALUD. It will eventually be translated into French and English and, hopefully, adapted to many indigenous languages. FIRST LEVEL OVERVIEW The Teacher Guides Each First Level Teacher’s Guide covers important topics such as: -­‐ How to organize a course and how to teach Health Promoters -­‐ How to organize community groups -­‐ How to teach about the use of medicines -­‐ How to teach about respiratory and digestive diseases -­‐ How to teach about nutrition and environment Environment Nutrition Course Course Essential Medicine Respiratory Course Course Digestive Course Introduction Course Student Handbooks Each reference book for the Health Promoter student contains informative documents about how to prevent, diagnose and treat the most common sicknesses and when to refer a patient. -­‐ The language is simple. -­‐ The illustrations are clear. -­‐ The treatment and diagnostic guidelines are easy to understand. Teaching Health Promoters: Vision and Techniques SECOND LEVEL OVERVIEW Teacher Guides Second Level Teacher Guides cover the following topics: -­‐ How to teach about accidents and traumas -­‐ How to teach about reproductive health -­‐ How to teach about pregnancy and delivery -­‐ How to teach about chronic diseases -­‐ How to teach about dental and oral care Accidents and Traumas Course Reproductive Health Course Student’s Handbook Pregnancy and Delivery Course Chronic Diseases Course Dental and Oral Care Course -­‐ The language is progressively more complex. -­‐ The graphics are explicit and educational. -­‐ The treatment and diagnostic guidelines are still easy to understand and to adapt. ELECTRONIC ANNEX AND THIRD LEVEL OVERVIEW An Electronic Annex is included with the Teacher Guides. It is an educational tool where the teacher can find: -­‐ Pictures to project and ready to use Power Points documents -­‐ Sounds to listen to and recognize symptoms -­‐ Videos -­‐ Ready to print games, tests/evaluations and worksheets -­‐ Ready to print Student Handbooks with and without page numbers, giving flexibility to the teacher to build one's own customized Student Handbook -­‐ A PDF of each one of the Teacher’s Guides and Student’s Handbooks from the “Cómo Enseñar Sobre La Salud” series -­‐ Third level handouts Educational pictures, ready to be projected Respiratory sounds Instructive Video of Medical Aid Film, “Management of Post-­‐
Partum Hemorrhage” Third Level Guides and Handouts, covering the following topics: -­‐ Skin Diseases Course -­‐ Eye Course -­‐ Nutrition And Chronic Diseases Course -­‐ Endemic Diseases Course -­‐ Nervous System Course -­‐ Traditional Remedies Course Inside each Teacher´s Guide, there are: -­‐ Comprehensible and easy to follow course plans -­‐ Instructive, step by step activities -­‐ Clear goals -­‐ Helpful advice from experienced teachers and physicians -­‐ Informative illustrations -­‐ Ready to use educational games and worksheets -­‐ Ready to use evaluations/tests and clinical cases THE ESSENTIAL MEDICINE INDEX A vital part of the series “Cómo Enseñar Sobre La Salud,” the Essential Medicine Index (Índice de Medicamentos Esenciales) is THE REFERENCE BOOK of medicine for Health Promoters. Its very simple and easy to read format and content makes it an indispensable every day tool for beginners and advanced Health Promoters. It contains information about the most prescribed essential medicines. It contains information about the most prescribed essential medicines recommended by the W.H.O. Name of the essential What does this medicine medicine do? (What is its effect?) For which disease/situation What are the possible should we use this interactions? medicine? The possible danger and the secondary effects about this medicine What is the correct dose and how should we prescribe this medicine? How many days does a full treatment last? Useful advice