In 2006, the training unit developed a distance learning tool to address the urgent need to train the thousands of health care professionals who will have to manage HIV infected patients in primary care facilities in Southern Africa.
Aimed primarily at nurses and counsellors, the educational approach and layout of the HIV Education Programme (HEP) is based on the very successful and well documented Perinatal Education Programme (PEP) which has been used by over 50 000 doctors, nurses and medical students in Southern Africa to improve the care of mothers and infants.
Using a question-and-answer approach, followed by case studies, HEP enables groups of health care workers to manage their own continuing education. It is based on the principles of co-operative learning and peer tuition, with participants studying each module on their own and then meeting to discuss the contents with other local participants. The learning material is based on current South African national protocols, and the content has been extensively reviewed and validated by experts in the field.
