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Omphi GFMER MHTF TGHN

Obstetric Fistula

The fourth online training course in the field of maternal and perinatal health by GFMER/MHTF/OMPHI/TGHN

An interactive course for health professionals

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About the Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF)

The Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF) is a project of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health. This project aims to create a strong, well-informed and integrated community with equitable access to high-quality technical evidence that is critical in eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide.

About the Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI)

The Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) aims to bring together world experts to resolve priority maternal and perinatal health problems. OMPHI engages medical researchers, social scientists and health management experts in major issues affecting the health of mothers and newborn babies, particularly in resource-poor settings.

About The Global Health Network (TGHN)

The Global Health Network is an online hub joining together a collection of over 28 websites to support research by sharing knowledge and methods across staff levels, communities, regions, diseases and disciplines of global health. Each website has been established to create a subject specific online community of researchers who can build collaborations, develop documents, share resources and exchange information regardless of geographical, institutional or financial barriers. The result is a productive, interactive environment where research teams are accessing peers, generating research documents, acquiring technical expertise and developing new protocols in open collaboration to improve research outputs.

The Global Health Training Centre is the Network’s central hub for all research staff training and continued professional development needs. The Training Centre brings together a wealth of training materials from across The Global Health Network, collaborating organisations, institutions and networks, and from reliable internet sources.

About the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (GFMER)

Established in 2002, the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (GFMER) is a non-profit organisation and WHO collaborating centre in education and research in human reproduction. The overall objective of the Foundation is to provide various education and research programs to health professionals worldwide. Through its international network and partners the Foundation actively contributes to promoting and disseminating evidence-based knowledge to health professionals worldwide.

GFMER/MHTF/OMPHI/TGHN Joint Initiatives

Since 2010, OMPHI, MHTF and GFMER have been working together to produce e-learning materials in the field of maternal and perinatal health. They have already produced three online training courses entitled “The evidence-based management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia”, “The evidence-based management of postpartum haemorrhage” and "Maternal infections". These three modules have been disseminated to health professionals worldwide, through the joint efforts of collaborating partners.

In reference to the significant achievement in disseminating evidence-based knowledge and the high demand for similar courses, GFMER/MHTF/OMPHI/TGHN developed a fourth e-learning module on Obstetric Fistula, which is an important cause of maternal morbidity in low and middle-income countries, where access to skilled birth attendants is limited. Each year between 50 000 to 100 000 women worldwide are affected by obstetric fistula. Women who experience obstetric fistula suffer constant incontinence, shame, social segregation and health problems. It is estimated that more than 2 million young women live with untreated obstetric fistula in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Principle author and coordinator

  • Charles-Henry Rochat, MD
    Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health of Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New-York, US / Associate Professor of Urology, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin / GFMER Director of "Obstetric Fistula Program", Switzerland

Advisory group

  • Ana Langer, MD
    Director, Women and Health Initiative / Director, Maternal Health Task Force / Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, US
  • José Villar, MD, MPH, MSc, FRCOG
    Professor of Perinatal Medicine, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, UK
  • Aldo Campana, MD
    Emeritus Professor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva / Director, Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Switzerland

Editorial team

  • Bonventure Ameyo Masakhwe, MD
    Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Kenya
  • Karim Abawi, MD, MSc
    Project Manager, Education & Research, Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Switzerland
  • Raqibat Idris, MD
    Technical Officer, Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Switzerland
  • Lynn Gertiser, Public Health Nurse, Certified Nurse-Midwife, Master’s Degree in Science
    Technical Officer, Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Switzerland

Application developers

  • Liam Boggs
    Training Manager, The Global Health Network Centre for Tropical Medicine & Global Health, University of Oxford, UK
  • Karen Bird
    Training Assistant, The Global Health Network Centre for Tropical Medicine & Global Health, University of Oxford, UK

Reviewers

  • Mary Nell Wegner, EdM, MPH
    Executive Director, Maternal Health Task Force / Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, US
  • Francis Githae Muriithi, MBChB, MMed (O&G)
    Clinical Research Fellow & Honorary Specialist Registrar, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology & The Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
  • Jane Hirst, MD
    Nuffield Medical Fellow & Locum Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, OUH NHS Trust University of Oxford, UK

About the development of this course

The development of this course was motivated by the feedback received from health professionals participating in the previous e-Learning courses on pre-eclampsia & eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhage and maternal infections, demanding for a similar course on obstetric fistula.

How to get the most from the course

Thank you for taking this course. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful. We suggest you go through the modules in order. Follow the instructions on the screen and click all the relevant links so you do not miss out on anything!

In each module you will find a link to key documents and articles if you click on the reference button.

The last section of the module is the knowledge assessment “Final Quiz”. You are invited to complete the final quiz. The participants who correctly answer at least 80% of the 30 multiple choice questions are entitled to a course certificate jointly signed by the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Oxford, Harvard Maternal Health Taskforce, Global Health Network and GFMER.

Course contents

  • Module 1. Introduction, definition, epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis and prevention of obstetric fistula
  • Module 2. Diagnosis and classification of obstetric fistula
  • Module 3. Management of obstetric fistula
  • Module 4. Social reintegration
  • Final quiz

The time to complete the course and knowledge assessment is on average four hours.

Access the Course go to course

The modules are also available in PDF format: Obstetric fistula (PDF)

As of April 30, 2019, a total of 1058 health professionals from 98 different countries took the assessment test (see Obstetric Fistula e-Learning Course - Participants by country).

GFMER is grateful to Enrico Monfrini for the financial support to this course.