Building HIV healthcare worker capacity through telehealth in Vietnam

Todd M. Pollack, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Vo Thi Tuyet Nhung, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Dang Thi Nhat Vinh, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Duong Thi Hao, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Le Thi Thu Trang, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
Pham Anh Duc, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Van Kinh, National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Hoai Dung, National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, Hanoi, Vietnam
Duong Lan Dung, National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Ninh, Hanoi Centre for Disease Control, Hanoi, Vietnam
Ho Thi Thanh Huyen, Son La Provincial AIDS Committee, Son La, Vietnam
Vo Xuan Huy, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Duong Minh Hai, Provincial AIDS Committee of HCMC, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Truong Huu Khanh, Department of Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Hospital No 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Pham Tram An Khuong, An Giang Provincial AIDS Committee, Long Xuyen, An Giang, Vietnam
Nguyen The Trong, Thai Binh Provincial AIDS Committee, Thai Binh, Vietnam
Nguyen Van Lam, Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics, Hanoi, Vietnam
Vu Ngoc Phinh, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
Do Thi Phuong, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Duc Duat, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Liem, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Binh, The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen K. Binh, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Le Ngoc Yen, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hanoi, Vietnam
Lisa Cosimi, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-8-2020

Abstract

Development of a robust technical assistance system is an essential component of a sustainable HIV response. Vietnam’s National HIV Program is transitioning from a largely donor-funded programme to one primarily supported by domestic resources. Telehealth interventions are increasingly being used for training, mentoring and expert consultation in high-resource settings and hold significant potential for use as a tool to build HIV health worker capacity in low and middle-income countries. We designed, implemented and scaled up a novel HIV telehealth programme for Vietnam, with the goal of building a sustainable training model to support the country’s HIV workforce needs. Over a 4-year period, HIV telehealth programmes were initiated in 17 public institutions with participation of nearly 700 clinical sites across 62 of the 63 provinces in the country. The telehealth programme was used to deliver certificate training courses, provide clinical mentoring and case-based learning, support programme implementation, provide coaching in quality improvement and disseminate new guidelines and policies. Programme evaluation demonstrated improved health worker self-reported competence in HIV care and treatment and high satisfaction among the programme participants. Lessons learnt from Vietnam’s experience with telehealth can inform country programmes looking to develop a sustainable approach to HIV technical assistance and health worker capacity building.

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