Over the course of 4 weeks, through weekly lectures, hands on skills and simulations, I will be teaching Emergency Medicine (EM) residents topics related to assessment and management pediatric trauma patients in the emergency room. EM residents have basic training in caring for trauma patients in the emergency room but due to limited faculty capacity in pediatric emergency medicine, there is lack of pediatric focused trauma training. While at CHUK, I will work with residents to hone in their clinical skills in caring for pediatric trauma patients. Lectures and simulations will be based on the fundamentals of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) , Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Pediatric Emergency Medicine Guide 2023. Through lectures and simulations, we will review and simulate initial assessment skills including but not limited to primary and secondary survey, head and abdominal trauma, airway management, labs and imaging indication based on initial assessment. The lectures will enhance the EM residents clinical knowledge and simulation sessions will provide a safe learning environment to gain confidence and skills to care for critically injured patients.
Primarily the project will serve the current 25 EM residents at the University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) as the course will strengthen their knowledge and skills in caring for pediatric trauma patients.
The EM residents and faculty at CHUK, a tertiary care referral hospital, provide care to the injured children from and around Kigali, and transferred patients from district hospitals around the country.
Ultimately, the end gaol of the project will benefit the population in general in Kigali and around the country; specifically pediatric patients who come through the trauma bay. At the end of the day, the endmost gaol would be improved patient outcome as EM residents at CHUK will be equipped with skills tailored to better assess and timely treat pediatric trauma patients.
Pediatric Emergency Medicine is a relatively new field, even in developed countries, there is still a need to improve the care of pediatric patient in the emergency room.
The ability to properly assess and initiate treatment for pediatric trauma patients in a timely fashion is a critical skill.
As pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellow at Hasbro Children's Hospital, part of my academic/scholarly duties I teach PEM related topics to the pediatric and emergency medicine residents at the Warren Alpert School of Brown University residency programs.
Upon my return, I intend to use the experience at CHUK, develop, design and implement a tailored curriculum that will be used down the road to provide EM residents at CHUK skills needed to care for pediatric patients in the emergency room based on the curriculum used at Hasbro.
