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Common Childhood Illnesses: A Digital Training for Community Health Workers

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"Caring for Sick Children in the Community" is a free digital training for CHWs on how to identify the signs of common childhood illnesses, care for sick children at home, and refer families to clinical settings when needed.

Audience: Community health workers

Languages: English

Format: Videos; Job aids

Key topics: Cough; Fever; Diarrhoea; Malnutrition; TB; HIV

Worldwide, children between two months and five years of age die mainly from illnesses that can often be prevented or successfully treated. According to UNICEF, pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria were responsible for 30% of deaths among children under age five in 2019. 

Trained community health workers (CHWs) can help identify the early signs of illness, take action to prevent serious illness, and save lives. Continuous access to information on signs and symptoms, home care techniques, and guidance on when to refer families to health facilities is critical in supporting CHWs to provide the best possible care.

We co-developed this digital course with Lwala Community Alliance, One to One Children’s Fund, Philani Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition Trust, and an advisory group of CHWs. The content complements standard training, provides additional guidance on key topics, and is aligned with best practices outlined by the World Health Organization and UNICEF as well as the Ministries of Health of Kenya and South Africa.

“We are seeing this as a great opportunity. I don’t think we will go back to doing the training the way we had done them before, because the outcomes are great. The post-test was much better this time around, and the CHWs are excited with the content.”

- Hellen Gwaro, Director of Programs at Lwala Community Alliance in Kenya

Learn more about this project

Course overview

Access Resources

This project includes six self-paced modules with videos and on-the-job aids, free for use under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

Content Guide

Introduction: Your Role in Caring for Sick Children

ContentYouTubeDigital Medic WebsiteDigital Medic App
Video: Your Role in Caring for Sick ChildrenPlayDownload

 

Video: Assess a Sick Child: Ask, Look and ListenPlayDownload

 

Video: Act: Decide on the Next StepsPlayDownload

 

Video: Follow Up on a Sick ChildPlayDownload

 

Video: Communication Skills to Work with Families to Keep Children HealthyPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

Your role in caring for sick children | View and download all videos and job aids

Module 1: Cough

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Video: How to Assess a Child with a CoughPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Identify Fast BreathingPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Identify Chest IndrawingPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Identify Difficulty BreathingPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Care for a Child with a CoughPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

How to identify chest indrawing | View and download all videos and job aids

Module 2: Fever

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Video: How to Assess a Child with a FeverPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Identify HypothermiaPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Care for a Child with a FeverPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

How to identify hypothermia in children | View and download all videos and job aids

Module 3: Diarrhoea

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Video: How to Assess a Child with DiarrhoeaPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Make Oral Rehydration SolutionsPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Care for a Child with DiarrhoeaPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

How to make oral rehydration solutions | View and download all videos and job aids

Module 4: Malnutrition

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Video: What is Malnutrition?PlayDownload

 

Video: How to Assess a Child for MalnutritionPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Identify a Child with MalnutritionPlayDownload

 

Video: How to Care for a Child with MalnutritionPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

How to care for a child with malnutrition | View and download all videos and job aids

Module 5: Tuberculosis (TB)

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Video: The truth about TBPlayDownload

 

Video: TB: How to assess a childPlayDownload

 

Video: TB: How to care for a childPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

Module 6: HIV

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Video: My story: A child with HIVPlayDownload

 

Video: HIV: How to assess a childPlayDownload

 

Video: HIV: How to care for a childPlayDownload

 

Job Aids Download

 

My story: A child with HIV | View and download all videos and job aids

Download the Digital Medic mobile app

View and download all content in the free Digital Medic mobile app for iOS and Android. We recommend this option for learners in settings with limited data and internet connectivity.