Consultant for IMPACT MED Alliance (Developing Guidance and Training Manual for COVID-19 Hospital Preparedness)

The Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam (HAIVN)

Consultant for IMPACT MED Alliance 

(Developing Guidance and Training Manual for COVID-19 Hospital Preparedness)

I. Background

The USAID-funded Improving Access, Curriculum, and Teaching in Medical Education and Emerging Diseases (the IMPACT MED Alliance) aims to improve the capacity of Vietnam’s health system to respond to new and emerging infectious diseases.  The need to strengthen hospital IPC is now even more urgent in the setting of the expanding novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. As of March 2020, Vietnam has an increasing number of COVID-19 cases imported from other countries as well from in-country transmission. There is a high risk for the epidemic to keep rising as seen in other countries with more people affected and placing stress on the healthcare system. To avoid potential overload at central hospitals, the Vietnam Ministry of Health (MOH) issued guidelines to expand services at health facilities and to triage patients for treatment at different levels of the hospital system. On 6 February, the MOH issued Guidelines on the prevention and management of COVID-19 in Vietnam. HAIVN and the IMPACT MED Alliance has partnered with Vietnam National Children’s Hospital (VNCH) to support MOH efforts to train health workers and prepare hospitals for the COVID-19 epidemic.

An important outcome of this work will be the creation of package of materials, including a guidebook on healthcare facility preparedness and a training package for HCWs on COVID-19 and infection control measures. Creating a set of standardized materials and training contents are needed to meet the current demand of the system and will help ensure widespread dissemination to facilities within and beyond the project target.  

A professional and qualified consultant will be recruited to undertake the role of the material development coordinator. In this role the consultant will be expected to work closely with the Technical Experts to design an appropriate training program, adapt existing content (guidelines, training materials, international resources), and develop a training manual for future use by Vietnamese health system. The target users of the training materials are TOT trainers from departments of infection control, intensive care unit, infectious diseases, and other relevant hospital departments at the provincial and district level.

II. Objectives

The objectives of the required tasks in these terms of reference are to create a comprehensive guidebook and training package on hospital preparedness to COVID-19 in Vietnam.

III. Scope of expected outputs

The expected outputs will be completed in consultation with MOH and VNCH and with the support of the project team. The deliverables include the following:

1. A guide on Healthcare facility preparedness to respond to COVID-19 epidemic with a set of toolkits to assess the facility preparedness. The guidebook will include the following (tentative list of contents, subject to change/expand):

• Establishing the preparedness command
• Ensuring triage, early recognition, and source control
• Applying standard precautions 
• Implementing contact and droplet precautions
• Plan of training for HCWs and IPC personnel
• Plan of cleaning and waste management
• Ensuring the supply of PPE and plan of proper PPE use

2. Training package for HCWs on COVID-19 and infection control measures to prevent intra-facility transmission of infection 

• Training materials, including PowerPoint slides and supplementary materials, compiled and organized in consistent format according to MOH and USAID requirements. Materials should include the following topics (tentative list of contents, subject to change/expand):

1. General information on COVID-19: the virus, transmission, manifestation, diagnosis and treatment
2. Standard precaution, including hand hygiene and using personal protective equipment
3. Respiratory precaution
4. Contact precaution
5. Environmental cleaning and waste management
6. Safety in collecting and handling laboratory specimens

• Facilitator guide including the following for each module

1. Time required
2. Materials needed
3. Session Objectives
4. Trainer notes, including a summary of action steps in bullet points
5. Instructions for activities such as discussions, simulations, demonstrations, etc. where appropriate 
6. Training evaluation tool
7. References and additional readings

3. Other requirements:

• All materials should be both in Vietnamese and English Languages.
• The format is user-friendly, easy to understand and utilize.  
• The trainer notes/explanations are clear, accurate, and comprehensive.
• Activities such as discussions, simulations, demonstrations, etc. are included as much as possible as appropriate

IV. Expected tasks:

The tasked expected to be completed by the consultant include the followings:

• Desk review of existing materials including MOH guidelines, training materials from MOH, hospitals, and projects in Vietnam, and international standards, information, examples (5 days).
• Coordinate technical consultants from MOH, VNCH, and other hospitals to facilitate the progress and finalize the technical content. The coordination tasks may include facilitation of suitable meetings, liaison and discussion with the technical consultants and other relevant stakeholders (10 days);
• Develop the content of the guidebook and manual (including training materials and facilitator guide as above) with relevant inputs from technical consultants (15 days). 
• Evaluate implementation of the training through direct observation and through post-training assessment (5 days)
• Revise materials as needed following implementation and evaluation (4 days)
• Translate materials to English (3 days)
• Finalize materials following comments from Vietnam and international experts (3 days)

V. Management of the assignment and Collaboration mechanism

The Consultant will work under the supervision of HAIVN’s Infection Control Project Coordinator. The Consultant is expected to work closely with the technical consultants from VNCH who take the role of providing relevant inputs developing the technical contents of the materials. The Consultant is expected to work collaboratively with numerous experts and stakeholders and have the ability to coordinate and consolidate all inputs to meet the desired outputs.  The final version is subject to final review of HAIVN and VNCH.

VI. Deliverables and timeframes

The consultant will perform the expected tasks within a period of three months from April 2020 to June 2020.  The expected level of effort is up to 45 days.

VII. Location

The consultant should be located in Hanoi, Vietnam

VIII. Competencies and Qualifications

• University Degree in health-related field such as medicine, nursing, or public health
• Proven and substantial experience in designing and developing training packages for adults, booklets, manuals or publications or similar tasks;
• At least ten years of experiences working in public health projects;
• Understanding of both USAID and MOH approach and requirements to material development;
• Proven experience in writing manuals, training documents or similar publications in health;
• Fluency in Vietnamese and English.

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, writing sample and curriculum vitae to Ms. Dam Thuy Huong at [email protected] no later than March 27, 2020. 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.