13 May 2020 Geneva
WHO announces the launch of the WHO Academy app designed to support health workers during COVID-19, and the WHO Info app designed to inform the general public.
Today, the WHO Academy, World Health Organization’s lifelong learning centre, launched a mobile app designed to enable health workers to expand their life-saving skills to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The app provides health workers with mobile access to a wealth of COVID-19 knowledge resources, developed by WHO, that include up-to-the-minute guidance, tools, training, and virtual workshops that will help them care for COVID-19 patients and protect themselves.
“With this new mobile app, the WHO is putting the power of learning and knowledge-sharing directly into the hands of health workers everywhere,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
The app is built around the needs expressed by 20,000 global health workers in a WHO Academy survey conducted in March of 2020.
The survey found that two-thirds of respondents feel they need to be more prepared, particularly in infection prevention and control, case management, use of personal protective equipment and occupational safety, and risk communication and community engagement.
An overwhelming majority of respondents said virtual learning on demand would be helpful in preparing for COVID-19 challenges.
The establishment of the WHO Academy, based in Lyon, France, is planned for launch in May 2021. The state-of-the-art lifelong learning centre, will apply the latest technologies and adult learning science to meet the learning needs of millions of health workers, policy makers, and WHO staff around the world.
The application is available for free download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Arabic Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
You can also learn more about the WHO Academy here: http://academy.who.int
