Vall d’Hebron launches WikiTropica, a project led by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (Belgium) together with partners from Indonesia, Cambodia and Europe. WikiTropica provides healthcare professionals with up-to-date information on infectious and tropical diseases to enable accurate diagnoses. This is particularly important in low- and middle-income countries with high disease burdens and limited resources. The platform not only provides important health information, but also serves as an information tool.
One of the most important tasks in healthcare is distinguishing between patients who need urgent medical care and those who do not. WikiTropica provides tools to solve these diagnostic challenges in the field. Additionally, it functions as an e-learning resource. “Through the use of interactive clinical cases, healthcare professionals and students immerse themselves in the symptoms and signs of the most common tropical infections, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic tools of real-world medical practice in tropical environments.”explains Dr. María Espiau, pediatrician in the Department of Pediatric Infectious Pathology and Immunodeficiencies at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and researcher in the “Infection and Immunity in Pediatric Patients” group at VHIR. Dr. Espiau is leading this project from Vall d’Hebron, a center involved in the conception, development and review of clinical cases in the field of pediatric infections.
WikiTropica was launched in Indonesia in the last few days. The meeting served as a space to present and review the clinical cases available on the platform, with Dr. Espiau particularly focused on explaining the use of pediatric clinical cases in various contexts.
Promote health and education
WikiTropica is based on the importance of accurate diagnosis to treat infectious and tropical diseases. According to Dr. Steven Van Den Broucke, a doctor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, “Incorrect diagnoses lead to unnecessary medical interventions. With WikiTropica we aim to guide healthcare professionals and students through diagnostic challenges in a structured and rational way. This is particularly important in resource-constrained situations where excessive medical intervention is not an option.”
But the project is more than just a diagnostic tool; It also serves as an educational resource. With infectious disease and zoonotic disease outbreaks on the rise and demand for additional healthcare workers in Southeast Asia and the Global South, the platform plays a critical role in educating healthcare professionals and students. This is achieved by simulating real diagnostic challenges and thus preparing them for use. Essentially, the platform not only helps address existing health challenges, but also helps build a well-trained healthcare workforce capable of effectively addressing these challenges.
WikiTropica is a valuable resource for Indonesia, serving the needs of hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals and medical students who struggle to access a good online learning platform. In addition to clinical decision support, WikiTropica offers a wide range of electronic cases, primarily focused on tropical medicine. According to Dr. E. Elsa Herdiana Murhandarwati from the Center for Tropical Medicine at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), all members of the consortium are working to provide an accessible educational platform for people working in tropical medicine, thereby ensuring broad access to important information in this field Field.
HITIHE: Collaborating for better healthcare
WikiTropica is part of HITIHE (Health Information and Technology for Improved Health Education in Southeast Asia), an Erasmus+ training project. HITIHE promotes collaboration by facilitating the sharing of resources and tools among healthcare professionals, academic staff, and healthcare librarians. This collaborative network fosters a community of health professionals, paving the way for improved health education and quality of health care in Southeast Asia.
HITIHE is a collaboration involving several higher education institutes from Belgium (ITM), Cambodia (Cambodia Institute of Technology, University of Health Sciences, National Institute of Public Health), Indonesia (Universitas Gadjah Mada and Universitas Sebelas Maret), Spain (Valle d ( Hebron, Sant Joan de Déu, ISGLOBAL) and the Netherlands (Maastricht University). The project was possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ program of the European Union and the General Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD) of the Belgian government.
