Bridging the Capacity Building Gap for Antimicrobial Stewardship Implementation: Evidence from Virtual Communities of Practice in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi.

Background/objectives: Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs is an invaluable intervention in the ongoing efforts to contain the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in low-resource settings. This study evaluates the impact of the Telementoring, Education, and Advocacy Collaboration initiative for Health through Antimicrobial Stewardship (TEACH AMS), which uses the virtual Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) learning model to enhance AMS capacity in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, which included attendance data collection, facility-level assessments, post-session and follow-up surveys, as well as focus group discussions.

Building global capacity for COVID-19 vaccination through interactive virtual learning.

Background: To support the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, the World Health Organization and its partners developed an interactive virtual learning initiative through which vaccination stakeholders could receive the latest guidance, ask questions, and share their experiences. This initiative, implemented between 9 February 2021 and 15 June 2021, included virtual engagement between technical experts and participants during a 15-session interactive webinar series as well as web and text-messaging discussions in English and French.

Methods: This article uses a mixed-methods approach to analyze survey data collected following each webinar and a post-series survey conducted after the series had concluded.