This is the 6th annual African Conference on Emergency Medicine this year located in Accra, Ghana. This conference goal is to increase the quality of emergency medicine, knowledge, awareness and skills of the providers not only in Ghana but across countries in Africa who will also be in attendance. The group including myself will be teaching basic and advanced lectures as well as hands on ultrasound scanning with providers with various experiences. This will include how to optimize images and clinical integration of ultrasound.
Ultrasonography is very important in continents such as African given limited resources in some areas to more advanced imaging such as CT imaging or MRI imaging. Ultrasound will be able to help aid decision making in the emergency setting as well as help make definitive diagnoses with a device that is low cost, low radiation, and efficient.
I expect a great appreciation for ultrasound given its low cost and efficiency in the emergency setting when other imaging may not be accessible. I look forward to seeing the progression of skill of the providers (physicians, nurses, etc.) and their increase love for ultrasound and I also have. Hopefully learning more about ultrasound and its uses would also spread awareness and allow governments/hospital administration to invest in more ultrasound devices.
We taught pre-AFCEM, during and post conference basic and advanced ultrasound to residents, nurses, and attending physicians of Ghana. My main station was 37 Military Teaching Hospital. Did lectures in the morning and hands on teaching in the afternoon throughout the week. The providers felt more confident (per pre and post course evaluation) with their ultrasound skills and plan on incorporating it more into their practice given the better skill.
