Pediatric trauma mortality is an increasing concern due to multiple factors including population growth and road penetration with more traffic collisions and crowded environments. Socioeconomic disparities further contribute limiting access to safety resources such as car seats and helmets increasing the likelihood of severe injuries. In low- and medium-income countries, these trends are exacerbated by limited access to care and a lack of health care providers trained in pediatric trauma care. This is particularly problematic in rural district hospitals leading to worsening outcomes in these settings. The rapid development of infrastructure including the use of gas stoves and electricity has outpaced healthcare development. Injuries from these sources are increasingly prevalent in rural areas. To address these issues, it is essential to prioritize pediatric trauma care training and pediatric resuscitation for health care providers in rural hospitals. Workshops and hands-on sessions with emergency care providers can enhance skills in managing trauma cases while promoting community awareness and prevention.
This project will primarily target healthcare providers including general practitioners, nurses, emergency room technicians and other essential medical staff responsible for providing care in the rural district hospitals of Rwanda.
This project will significantly impact healthcare providers in district hospitals by equipping them with the knowledge and expertise necessary to effectively manage pediatric trauma cases. Interwoven with this is training on pediatric resuscitation both for traumatic injuries and critical medical presentations. It will ultimately benefit patients in their respective catchments by ensuring they receive timely and appropriate care thereby improving health care outcomes and reducing mortality rates among children with traumatic injuries. By integrating pediatric trauma training and pediatric resuscitation into healthcare and ongoing professional development, we can strengthen emergency response capabilities across the board.
This trip was truly inspiring. I felt like I made a difference that will directly affect the care of children. There were two primary groups we worked with and impacted in somewhat different ways. The district hospitals were in rural areas and provided a breadth of care with limited resources. These district hospitals are often the first hospital encounter ill and injured patients have in Rwanda. We ran a seminar reviewing pediatric trauma care and used a feedback system to improve the quality of CPR. Quality CPR and early initiation of trauma care will directly influence chances of survival for pediatric patients presenting to these district hospitals.
The second group that we interacted with were residents in emergency medicine and pediatric residencies. These will be the future leaders in their fields in Rwanda and across other African nations. We shared current best practices in pediatric emergency and critical care. These were extremely engaged young physicians looking to adopt these best practices to the settings in which they work. Many of these residents work in academic teaching settings in Kigali where care can parallel much of what is done in the US or Europe. They are truly pushing pediatric and emergency care to a new level. The Ministry of Health is developing a Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Fellowship and we are advising them on this. From work with both of these groups, I believe if I return to Rwanda in 10 years I will see advancements in pediatric emergency care spearheaded by some of the doctors and nurses we interacted with.
