Anesthesia Provider Training and Practice Models: A Survey of Africa.

BACKGROUND: In Africa, most countries have fewer than 1 physician anesthesiologist (PA) per 100,000 population. Nonphysician anesthesia providers (NPAPs) play a large role in the workforce of many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but little information has been systematically collected to describe existing human resources for anesthesia care models. An understanding of existing PA and NPAP training pathways and roles is needed to inform anesthesia workforce planning, especially for critically underresourced countries. METHODS: Between 2016 and 2018, we conducted electronic, phone, and in-person surveys of anesthesia providers in Africa. The surveys focused on the presence of anesthesia training programs, training program characteristics, and clinical scope of practice after graduation. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one respondents completed surveys representing data for 51 of 55 countries in Africa. Most countries had both PA and NPAP training programs (57%; mean, 1.6 pathways per country). Thirty distinct training pathways to become an anesthesia provider could be discriminated on the basis of entry qualification, duration, and qualification gained. Of these 30 distinct pathways, 22 (73%) were for NPAPs. Physician and NPAP program durations were a median of 48 and 24 months (ranges: 36-72, 9-48), respectively. Sixty percent of NPAP pathways required a nursing background for entry, and 60% conferred a technical (eg, diploma/license) qualification after training. Physicians and NPAPs were trained to perform most anesthesia tasks independently, though few had subspecialty training (such as regional or cardiac anesthesia). CONCLUSIONS: Despite profound anesthesia provider shortages throughout Africa, most countries have both NPAP and PA training programs. NPAP training pathways, in particular, show significant heterogeneity despite relatively similar scopes of clinical practice for NPAPs after graduation. Such heterogeneity may reflect the varied needs and resources for different settings, though may also suggest lack of consensus on how to train the anesthesia workforce. Lack of consistent terminology to describe the anesthesia workforce is a significant challenge that must be addressed to accelerate workforce research and planning efforts.

eLearning among Canadian anesthesia residents: a survey of podcast use and content needs.

BACKGROUND: Podcasts are increasingly being used in medical education. In this study, we conducted a survey of Canadian anesthesia residents to better delineate the content needs, format preferences, and usage patterns among anesthesia residents. METHODS: 10/16 Canadian anesthesia program directors, representing 443/659 Canadian anesthesia residents, allowed their residents to be included in the study. 169/659 (24%) residents responded to our survey. A 17-item survey tool developed by the investigators was distributed by email eliciting information on patterns of podcast use, preferred content, preferred format, and podcast adjuncts perceived to increase knowledge retention. RESULTS: 60% (91/151) had used medical podcasts with 67% of these users spending up to 1 hour per week on podcasts. 72.3% of respondents selected 'ability to review materials whenever I want' was selected by the majority of respondents (72%) as the reason they found podcasts to be valuable. No clear preference was shown for audio, video, or slidecast podcasts. Physiology (88%) and pharmacology (87%) were the most requested basic science topics while regional anesthesia (84%), intensive care (79%) and crisis resource management (86%) were the most requested for procedural, clinical and professional topics respectively. Respondents stated they would most likely view podcasts that contained procedural skills, journal article summaries and case presentations and that were between 5-15 minutes in duration A significantly greater proportion of senior residents (81%) requested podcasts on 'pediatric anesthesia' compared to junior residents 57% (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of respondents are using podcasts. Anesthesia residents have preferred podcast content, types, length and format that educators should be cognizant of when developing and providing podcasts.

The timing of booster sessions may not improve resuscitation skill retention among healthcare providers: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Booster sessions can improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skill retention among healthcare providers; however, the optimal timing of these sessions is unknown. This study aimed to explore differences in skill retention based on booster session timing. Methods: After ethics approval, healthcare providers who completed an initial CPR training course were randomly assigned to either an early booster, late booster, or no booster group. Participants' mean resuscitation scores, time to initiate compressions, and time to successfully provide defibrillation were assessed immediately post-course and four months later using linear mixed models. Results: Seventy-three healthcare professionals were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences by randomization in the immediate post-test (9.7, 9.2, 8.9) or retention test (10.2, 9.8, and 9.5) resuscitation scores. No significant effects were observed for time to compression. Post-test time to defibrillation (mean ± SE: 112.8 ± 3.0 sec) was significantly faster compared to retention (mean ± SE: 120.4 ± 2.7 sec) (p = 0.04); however, the effect did not vary by randomization. Conclusion: No difference was observed in resuscitation skill retention between the early, late, and no booster groups. More research is needed to determine the aspects of a booster session beyond timing that contribute to skill retention.

Introduction: Des séances de rappel peuvent favoriser le maintien des compétences en réanimation cardio-pulmonaire (RCP) chez les professionnels de la santé; toutefois, le moment optimal pour offrir ces séances est inconnu. Cette étude visait à explorer les différences dans le maintien des compétences en fonction du moment où intervient la séance de rappel. Méthodes: Après avoir obtenu une approbation éthique, nous avons réparti au hasard des professionnels de la santé ayant suivi une formation initiale en RCP entre un groupe qui a reçu un rappel précoce, un groupe qui a eu un rappel tardif et un groupe qui n'a pas reçu de séance de rappel. Les scores moyens de réussite de la réanimation, le temps moyen pris avant de commencer les compressions et le temps moyen pris pour effectuer avec succès une défibrillation ont été évalués immédiatement après la séance et quatre mois plus tard, à l'aide de modèles mixtes linéaires. Résultats: Les données de 73 professionnels de la santé ont été analysées. Il n'y a pas eu de différences significatives à la suite de la randomisation dans les scores de réanimation au post-test immédiat (9,7; 9,2; 8,9) et au test sur le maintien des compétences (10,2; 9,8 et 9,5). Aucun effet significatif n'a été observé en lien avec le délai avant d'entamer les compressions. Le délai de défibrillation était significativement plus court après la séance (moyenne ± SE : 112,8 ± 3,0 sec) que lors du test de maintien des compétences (moyenne ± SE : 120,4 ± 2,7 sec) (p=0,04); cependant, l'effet n'a pas été différent d'un groupe à un autre. Conclusion: Aucune différence n'a été observée sur le plan du maintien des compétences en réanimation entre les groupes avec rappel précoce, avec rappel tardif et sans rappel. De plus amples travaux sont nécessaires pour déterminer les caractéristiques d'une séance de rappel, autres que le moment où elle intervient, qui contribueraient au maintien des compétences.

Peer training and co-learning in global health care.

BACKGROUND: The Zambia Anaesthesia Development Project (ZADP) is a an international health care partnership between the UK and Zambia, designed to mutually benefit anaesthetic registrars from both countries in aspects deficient in their native training schemes. CONTEXT: The ZADP evolved from an initial plan to support a new anaesthesia training programme in Zambia, with visiting trainees providing continuity that was missing from short-term consultant visits. The primary goal of the project was to improve patient safety and care by delivering teaching, and by developing management, leadership and governance structures. An important reciprocal goal was to provide a unique training experience for a UK registrar in a resource-poor environment, including the resulting clinical and non-clinical challenges. This model adds a useful dimension to the educational support provided, and also embodies the principle of co-development IMPLICATIONS: The ZADP and the Zambia Master of Medicine (MMed) Anaesthesia programme provides an example of a cross-cultural peer-directed co-learning model that benefits trainees from developed and developing postgraduate training programmes. This synergistic model is one that could be applied to other educational initiatives supported from overseas. This model not only adds a useful dimension to the educational support provided, but also embodies the principle of co-development that is so important to the sustainability of such projects.