I am currently a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) fellow at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and have a passion for Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). Through prior travel experiences, I have witnessed the importance of quality emergency medical care in low-income countries and how the use of bedside ultrasound can change the course of a patient's care. The Emergency Department at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana provides care to many patients, both adult and pediatric. However, the majority of the resident doctor's training is in adult medicine. The department of Emergency Medicine has requested further education on providing quality care for pediatric patients and on improving their knowledge of point-of-care ultrasound. I plan to travel to Princess Marina Hospital to provide this specific education, as well as assist in bedside point-of-care ultrasound for patients and to attend the African Federation of Emergency Medicine conference. This will make a difference by narrowing the barriers to adequate sub-specialty education for resident doctors and as a result improve care for both adult and pediatric patients in Botswana.
Princess Marina Hospital is a government-funded hospital and the largest referral hospital in Botswana. The hospital supports medical training for physicians in Botswana and provides care for hundreds of patients per day. Medical education for the physicians, nurses, resident doctors, medical students at the hospital will benefit not only those gaining knowledge on these topics but also the patients that will be cared for by this staff.
This education is likely to improve patient care and patient outcomes at the hospital. Furthermore, this trip may create a partnership between the Emergency Department in Botswana and Pediatric Emergency Medicine faculty at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to provide longitudinal education on pediatrics and ultrasound.
I worked with adult Emergency Medicine residents, medical officers, medical students, and faculty and provided education on Pediatric Emergency Medicine topics given that they do not get specific training in this area. This impacted not only the people who received education and hands-on teaching but the patients they then applied the knowledge to care for.
