DR-TB training in Riga, 16-23 of August 2023
From 16 to 23 August, WHO CC for Research and Training in Management of MDR TB hosted an international training course on innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant TB attended by 29 healthcare professionals from Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.
Dr. Līga Kukša, the head of WHO CC for Research and Training in Management of MDR TB: "We are delighted that colleagues from other countries choose to visit the Latvian WHO Collaborating Centre to broaden their professional expertise and knowledge, which makes an important contribution to our own work, encouraging us to continuously learn, improve and strengthen our work so that we can pass on our experience to colleagues from collaborating countries."
A common approach to translating TB innovations into clinical practice, sharing experiences and collaborating across countries is essential to ensure the success of TB programmes and to continuously improve the quality and continuity of patient care".
The 7-day training course integrated the most up-to-date guidelines, recommendations and research-based approaches to TB diagnosis, treatment and care. The course also included study visits to the wards of the TB and Lung Disease Centre and the Riga Outpatient Department of Riga East University hospital to introduce participants to the Latvian TB control program experience.
A significant part of the training was also devoted to the practical work of the participants - country presentations, group discussions and analysis of different clinical cases.
We gratefully thank our wonderful participants, reliable partners and excellent experts who contributed to the course!
Workshop on cascade of care for MDR-TB/RR-TB patients
The specific objectives of this workshop were:
- to enhance scientific knowledge on the diagnosis, treatment and especially treatment adherence of MDR/RR-TB;
- to discuss country challenges in the management of MDR/RR-TB patients
- to share good practices and lessons learned in the management of MDR/RR-TB patients.
This dynamic and interactive workshop was structured by combining presentations on MDR/RR-TB diagnosis, treatment and treatment adherence with group discussions and group work on practice-based case studies, a moderated poster session, country presentations and a practical visit to the TB Outpatient department of the Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Riga East University Hospital (CTBLD, REUH).
Participants from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Spain attended this workshop.
- Liga Kuksa, the head of WHO CC Latvia was one of the co-lecturers of this workshop and presented side effects of new regimens, and active drug-safety monitoring and management as well as co-facilitated poster session and group work during the workshop.
- Evita Biraua, the head nurse of the TB Outpatient department of CTBLD, REUH presented the Latvian poster on treatment and care of MDR/RR-TB patients in outpatient settings and good practices/examples from Latvia in treatment adherence and support for the patients.
- Vija Riekstina, the head of the TB Outpatient department of CTBLD, REUH introduced participants to the organization of work of the Outpatient department, digital tools, and treatment adherence support for the patients.
TBnet Academy in Riga
This Academy was held for the 11th time, previously it's been held in various European countries. It provides participants – young doctors and researchers – with the opportunity to learn and experience innovations in the prevention, epidemiology, treatment and improvement of standards of care under the guidance of internationally coached experts and mentors. The academy is attended by more than 40 professionals from 13 different countries in the European region. This year, TB and Lung Diseases Center was selected as a collaborator and host for this prestigious event.
Dr Liga Kuksa, head of WHO CC: TBnet Academy is a unique event where young specialists working in TB can familiarize themselves with the latest scientific and practical advances and assess the importance and necessity of research. The academy aims to encourage participants and help them acquire specific skills to succeed in research. Such international cooperation, particularly in times of conflict and economic instability in the European region, is vital to ensuring the ongoing exchange of scientific ideas and clinical knowledge, as well as cultural education and friendshipTBnet is a European NGO made up of more than 900 health professionals and scientists. The organization aims to promote the quality of TB patient care by addressing health inequalities, making expert recommendations in areas where clinical evidence is lacking, prioritizing research, conducting multicentre clinical trials and training European clinicians and scientists. The author and promoter of the Academy idea is Prof Christoph Lange, who represents the Borstel Institute of Science in Germany and is also a Board Member of TBnet.
Innovations in treatment and management of DR-TB course in April
On 26 April, our first but not the last intensive postgraduate course for this year for TB professionals on drug-resistant tuberculosis concluded.
One of the key objectives of the course is to facilitate the exchange of clinical experiences, good practices and interventions among participants and facilitators coming from different countries in our region. The content of this course is therefore designed to be interactive, providing space for discussions, group work and the exchange of views and ideas.
30 TB professionals coming from Ukraine, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Latvia attended this course.
Some feedback from participants:
- The learning modules of the course fully addressed the problems that arise in the organization of the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of tuberculosis in our country
- A friendly, collegial atmosphere was maintained throughout the training, for which we are very grateful to the trainers who facilitated it.
- After completing this course, I will implement the new WHO recommendations in my clinical practice, improve communication with patients and adopt a holistic approach to the treatment and care of patients with TB.
Join the innovations in treatment and management of DR-TB course in Latvia!
We are happy to announce the first in-person course that will be organized from 19 to 26 April 2023 (7 working days, including Saturday 22 April) at the WHO CC Latvia facilities - Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Center, Riga East University hospital.
Exchange of experience course to scale up the competencies and knowledge of TB specialists in the clinical management of DR-TB in line with the current European Regional TB Action Plan as well as the novel approaches and evidence in programmatic management of drug-resistant TB.
The working language for this course: Russian
Course details & registration: http://www.tblatvia.com/innovations-in-dr-tb-course/
Registration for the online DR-TB course in English extended!
The registration deadline for participants of the online course "Innovations in treatment and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis", which will be organized 9-11/01 and 16-17/01, 2023
is extended to 29/12/2022!
Read more about this course: http://www.tblatvia.com/tb-course-for-clinicians/
Registration is available online!
Online training for TB clinicians
WHO CC Latvia organized online DR-TB training for TB clinicians 13-15/06 and 20-21/06, 2022. The course was attended by 56 participants from Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Moldova.
The objectives of the online course were to:
- Build the capacity of TB specialists in TB clinical management.
- Introduce the updates from the WHO consolidated guidelines on TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care.
- Scale-up approaches in delivering a people-centered model of TB care.
- Learn about the innovations, digital solutions and the latest evidence and recommendations in the management of drug-resistant TB.Among the positive aspects of the online training, course participants have mentioned interactivity, online tours, up-to-date content and information, exchange of experience and clarity of the delivered material.
The topics were all extremely relevant, new recommendations were presented. The trainers are highly skilled professionals. The feedback to the questions was provided promptly. Good clinical cases were offered for analysis, which made the training more interesting
Most of the participants are planning to introduce changes in their clinical practices after completion of the course – e.g. strengthen the collaboration with the primary health care professionals, improve contact tracing, and introduce new recommendations in TB clinical management.
We are going to use short
regimens for the treatment of
pediatric drug-susceptible
tuberculosis. We’ll work with
primary care providers to
improve their performance
when it comes to detecting
TB and initiating treatment
for patients with TB promptly.
The course was organized in collaboration with partners WHO Country Office in Ukraine, USAID "Eliminating TB in Central Asia project", Tajikistan, JOHN SNOW, INC., USA, PAS Center for Health Policies and Studies, Moldova.
Online course in English on innovations in treatment and management of drug-resistant TB, November 29-30 and December 6-8, 2021
Detailed information about the course is available here
Launching a new online course on innovations in treatment and management of DR-TB
The course will be organized for Russian-speaking participants.
More information on the content of the course, technical details, and registration are available here:
Information in Russian is available here
Training course on improving the quality of drug-resistant tuberculosis
The online course was practice-oriented and conducted through a series of lectures and clinical case discussions prepared by participants to assess the quality of TB case management. In addition, the course included daily group work sessions and participants presentations to discuss the limitations and strengths of National TB programs, the role of national TB Concilium, as well as the requirements for physicians for presenting a patient to TB Consilium. At the end of the course, each country elaborated a National document on criteria for the provision of the clinical audit (quality assessment).
During the course a virtual site visit to different TB facilities of TB and Lung Diseases center was organized - the National TB Reference Laboratory, TB outpatient department (including demonstration of directly observed and video observed TB treatment), and drug-resistant TB clinical Concilium.
The United States Agency for International Development Eliminating Tuberculosis in Central Asia (USAID ETICA) Project is the five-year program being implemented in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The purpose of the USAID ETICA project is to ensure more effective and more accessible tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment for all, including the vulnerable population
New online course on building professional knowledge and trainers skills
It is our great pleasure to collaborate with our partners from the USAID-funded and PATH-led Support TB Control Efforts in Ukraine project on hosting a new online course on building professional knowledge and trainers skills in the management of Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (March 16-19). The online training covers the information on the progress and challenges on the implementation of the Tuberculosis Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2016–2020, the latest updates from the WHO consolidated guidelines on drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment, and innovations in TB diagnostic methods. In addition, participants were introduced to the principles and methods of adult learning, guidance on constructive feedback, and effective adult teaching strategies.
The design of this online course includes different interactive elements - sharing opinions and experiences of participants, group work, and participants presentations.
More than 50 participants - academic staff from different scientific and educational medical institutions from Ukraine have attended the online training.
26-28 of January, 2021 - online training on improving knowledge and skills of nurses providing treatment and care for patients with tuberculosis in Ukraine
WHO CC Latvia, in close collaboration with colleagues from the USAID-funded and PATH-led Support TB Control Efforts in Ukraine project, has started this year with a very important online training for nurses providing treatment and care for patients with tuberculosis (TB) in Ukraine.
Nurses play a crucial role in TB patient's care and TB control programs
therefore it is essential to strengthen nursing capacity related to TB to
enhance the effectiveness of TB control measures. The role of nurses is also
essential in delivering and overseeing a patient’s daily directly observed
treatment and promoting treatment adherence, which leads to better outcomes for
TB patients.
The main objectives of this three-day online course are to introduce the latest updates and evidence in TB clinical management and to scale up approaches in delivering a people-centered model of TB care. The course is conducted through a series of lectures, practical work and discussions, as well as virtual site visits to TB facilities of TB and Lung Diseases Center of Riga East University hospital.
25 nurses from the National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F.G. Yanovsky, primary health care facilities, regional TB facilities of Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Lvivska, and Odeska oblasts have attended the online training. This is not the first occasion we collaborate with PATH Ukraine Country Program, and we hope for the further online or in-person activities to support health care workers in their professional growth and help strengthen Ukraine’s capacity in overcoming TB burden.
3rd TB webinar on December 10, 2020
3rd TB webinar will be organized on December 10, 202 as a part of the Baltic States Tuberculosis symposiums to strengthen the cooperation between three Baltic countries in exchange of clinical experiences, establishing common approaches in TB control as well as advocating for TB priority areas in the countries. Objectives of the webinar are to discuss the priority actions to strengthen the Baltic countries TB control programs and help countries to improve national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, to build the capacity of TB clinicians in the provision of anti-TB treatment, in line with the latest WHO guidelines and evidence and to introduce the best practices in the use of video supported TB treatment solutions in support of TB patients.
On May 22 and June 12, 2020 WHO CC Latvia in collaboration with the Latvian Society against Tuberculosis and partners from the TB community hosted two webinars as a part of the 4th Baltic Symposium for TB clinicians and laboratory staff to introduce the updates from the WHO consolidated guidelines and the latest evidence and recommendation for diagnosis, treatment and management of TB during COVID-19 epidemic. More information about the webinars is available here.
The 4th Baltic TB symposium is postponed to May, 2021
The 4th Baltic States Tuberculosis Symposium is postponed to May 2021. The Symposium will be devoted to the Baltic States perspectives towards achieving the global targets for TB: reviewing the progress of countries, assessing the successes in implementing the Action plan for TB control in the WHO European region 2016-2020 in Baltic countries, identifying the gaps and challenges achieving the end-TB milestones for 2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, as well as discussing the progress and interventions towards improving the situation in the Baltic region's priority areas.
Agenda of the Symposium will include topics on strengthening the inter-sectoral collaboration on TB, HIV and Hepatitis C, latent TB infection treatment and management, importance of monitoring and evaluation in countries, as well as updates in countries on drug-resistant TB treatment with new drugs and treatment regimens and patient-centered care approaches, including video-observed treatment.
Acknowledging the need for strengthening cooperation between three Baltic countries to exchange of experiences and establish common approaches in tuberculosis (TB) control in the Baltics, as well as to advocate for TB priority areas in countries, the Baltic State symposiums are organized in Riga since 2016.
First comprehensive online course on clinical and programmatic management of DR-TB
From 28.09 to 02.10.2020 WHO CC Latvia conducted the first advanced postgraduate online training on programmatic and clinical management of drug-resistant TB for TB clinicians from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. This 5-day course was developed and adapted online to build the capacity of TB specialists for the USAID Eliminating Tuberculosis in Central Asia (ETICA) Project on the latest WHO evidence and recommendations for diagnosis, treatment and management of DR-TB.
The training was conducted through a series of lectures, discussions, group work sessions, testing, participant’s presentations, and pre/post-course questionnaires. In addition, virtual site visits to TB facilities of TB and Lung Diseases Center of Riga East University hospital were organized, including virtual visits to the National TB Reference Laboratory, TB outpatient department, and drug-resistant TB clinical Concilium.
According to the training participant's feedback, participants were satisfied with the interactive delivery of the training, well-designed materials, professional facilitators, and good logistics. Most of the participants admitted that they plan to introduce changes in their daily work after completion of the course (e.g. operational research on short treatment regimens, management of the latent TB infection, etc.)
From participants feedback:
- “Provision of the training materials in accordance with the latest recommendations. Impressed by the quality of the illustrative material presented in the form of virtual tours to hospital departments and laboratories, as well as presentation/provision of material from other locations”.
- “The program was well-designed, the trainers are highly qualified professionals with profound knowledge in all the components of the TB control activity, most topical and urgent issues were discussed”.
- “Specialists will be able to introduce all the theoretical knowledge gained into practice, as well as pieces of practical advice. Besides, wonderful training materials will be extremely useful when there is a need to refresh one’s memory or while deciding what additional training sessions would be needed. Thank you very much indeed for this unforgettable experience".