Accessible Resources are Key to Educating and Training a Diverse Healthcare Workforce

Background:

While healthcare workers on the frontlines worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic to implement infection control measures, many often felt overwhelmed by infection prevention and control guidance that was changing rapidly to align with advances in science. These challenges and gaps in infection control knowledge reinforced the need for innovative education and training that would apply to a diverse healthcare workforce, be practical and easy to implement, but most importantly reflect the healthcare workers’ lived experiences.

CDC launched Project Firstline in 2020 as a national training and education collaborative aimed at supporting our healthcare workforce to better understand infection risks and take action to protect themselves and others. Project Firstline collaborates with a diverse network of more than 80 healthcare, academic, and public health partners to develop training products and programming that empower and enable healthcare workers to think critically about infection control.

Program background:

Project Firstline’s educational approach is grounded in formative and audience research to ensure that training products are engaging and aligned with healthcare workers needs and preferences for receiving information. By listening and responding to healthcare worker's needs, Project Firstline moves beyond the checklist and traditional presentations to develop accessible resources that meet healthcare workers where they are. Resources developed include educational web and social media content, short explainer videos, printable job aids and posters, training toolkits and session plans, and interactive scenarios. These resources are adapted and disseminated through a variety of channels, including web, paid and organic social and digital media, traditional news media, virtual events, and through partner networks.

Evaluation Methods and Results:

Project Firstline evaluates its dissemination of resources on a regular basis in order to continuously inform product development and channel distribution strategy. As of October 2022, Project Firstline and its collaborative partners:

• Reached approximately 132,300+ healthcare workers
• Hosted 2,150+ educational events
• Developed 260+ resources
• Received 198 million+ views across the web, and various digital and social media platforms

Conclusions:

All healthcare workers, regardless of educational background or previous experience, deserve access to infection control information and training products that they can understand and easily integrate into their daily work. Infection control information, including guidelines, guidance, and policy, should be translated into actionable educational content that explains the rationale behind the science and teaches the “why” behind infection control as much as the “what” and the “how.” This information should also be distributed via a variety of trusted communication channels and platforms that reach healthcare workers where they are.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Practice implications include developing educational products and training materials in a variety of formats, as learning needs and preferences vary. In addition, resources should be culturally and linguistically appropriate and incorporate plain language principles to ensure healthcare workers understand and retain critical infection control information. Lastly, utilizing trusted healthcare and public health partnerships allow for a broader, more streamlined approach in communicating accurate and up-to-date infection control information to the frontline healthcare workforce.