TB Notes Newsletter
No. 1, 2007
QuantiFERON-TB Gold Education: Responding to the National Need
On June 26, 2006, the four Regional Training and Medical Consultation Centers
(RTMCCs) joined forces to present a Web-based seminar entitled QuantiFERON-TB
Gold – Putting New Technologies into Practice. This national educational
offering attracted an estimated 800 participants. Some took part individually
while others attended as a group, listening together in conference rooms. The
seminar was funded by Cellestis, the company that developed QuantiFERON-TB Gold,
through an unrestricted educational grant.
The RTMCCs used the systematic health education process to develop this Web-based
program. The combined RTMCC’s national needs assessment data about the desirability
of the topic and the use and ability to access Web-based technology were key
to the planning process. Next, the faculty members were tapped for thoughts
and ideas. Finally, the program was evaluated to assess the impact of its content
and format. The Southeastern National Tuberculosis
Center facilitated the provision of continuing education
credits for physicians, nurses, and health educators to increase marketability
of the program. The RTMCCs marketed the program to its standard select audiences,
while Cellestis was instrumental in reaching nontraditional audiences such as
community-based providers and laboratory personnel, who may not normally be
a part of RTMCC courses.
The seminar featured presentations on the science behind QuantiFERON-TB Gold,
a summary of the CDC guidelines, and practical uses of the test in the field.
Most participants were nurses, followed by lab staff and physicians. Presenters
included Dr. Alfred Lardizabal from the Northeastern RTMCC, Dr. Phil Lobue from
the Division of TB Elimination at CDC, and Dr. Masae Kawamura from the Francis J. Curry National Tuberculosis Center.
The program was moderated by Dr. David Lakey from the Heartland National Tuberculosis
Center. Attendees benefited from the RTMCCs’ expertise
in innovative science and technology, not to mention their experience in providing
training to others. There was a question-and-answer session at the end of the
program, and the Web-based format allowed for questions throughout the program
to be sent electronically to the presenters.
Participants were interested not only in how QuantiFERON-TB Gold works, but
also in its practical applications. Written and verbal questions ranged from
the sensitivity and specificity of the test to how it can be accessed by TB
control programs. There was a demonstrated eagerness to learn more and hear
about the future of diagnosing latent TB infection.
The course was evaluated via the Internet-based survey service, Zoomerang,®
set up by the Southeastern
National Tuberculosis Center.
There were 435 responses to the evaluation. The conference was well rated in
terms of the knowledge of the speakers, the practical uses of the information,
and the method of providing education via the Web. There were comments about
the need for the slides; hence, we are providing them to readers:
QuantiFERON-TB
Gold – Putting New Technologies into Practice -
archived presentation and copies of the presenters’ slides.
—Submitted by Rajita Bhavaraju,
Northeastern Regional Training and Medical Consultation Consortium
James Sederberg,
Francis
J. Curry National
Tuberculosis Center
Karen Simpson,
Southeastern National
Tuberculosis Center
Anne Williamson,
Heartland
National Tuberculosis Center |
