Impact of Continuing Medical Education in the Implementation of Health Projects: Case of the Project “Improving the Management of Diabetes and its Complications in The Department of Saint-Louis in Senegal”

Diabetes is on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in Senegal where the latest prevalence estimates are around 3.4%. The region of Saint-Louis is a special case in terms of prevalence, since it far exceeds the national average, with more than 10% of the local population in 2011, or 30,000 to 40,000 cases. This epidemiological evolution of diabetes in the department of Saint-Louis is the direct consequence of many causes, including the lack of continuing medical education for paramedical staff. Material and methods: Our work proposes to return to the need for continuing medical education of paramedical staff in the department of Saint-Louis, through two surveys carried out with the diabetic people: a base line survey carried out before the training, and an end line survey after the diabetes training. The general objective is to assess the skills of health workers and their effectiveness in the management of diabetes and its complications, as well as the quality of diabetes management. Results: We found that the level of knowledge of nurses in charge of health posts and other paramedical staff is relatively heterogeneous. The average level obtained for right answers (66.76% during the base line survey and 82.4% during the end line survey) reflects the lack of continuing education concerning the diabetic disease in the department of Saint-Louis. Conclusion: The assessment of the knowledge of nursing staff in the department of Saint-Louis to which we proceeded is edifying. It is part of a logic of improving knowledge of diabetic disease and its complications. It shows that in the peripheral health structures, the need for continuing medical education is real.