A qualitative study of an undergraduate online emergency medicine education program at a teaching Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Globally, half of all years of life lost is due to emergency medical conditions, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) facing a disproportionate burden of these conditions. There is an urgent need to train the future physicians in LMICs in the identification and stabilization of patients with emergency medical conditions. Little research focuses on the development of effective emergency medicine (EM) medical education resources in LMICs and the perspectives of the students themselves. One emerging tool is the use of electronic learning (e-learning) and blended learning courses. We aimed to understand Uganda medical trainees' use of learning materials, perception of current e-learning resources, and perceived needs regarding EM skills acquisition during participation in an app-based EM course. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups of medical students and EM residents. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. All sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The final codebook was approved by three separate investigators, transcripts were coded after reaching consensus by all members of the coding team, and coded data were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-six medical trainees were included in the study. Analysis of the transcripts revealed three major themes: [1] medical trainees want education in EM and actively seek EM training opportunities; [2] although the e-learning course supplements knowledge acquisition, medical students are most interested in hands-on EM-related training experiences; and [3] medical students want increased time with local physician educators that blended courses provide. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that while students lack access to structured EM education, they actively seek EM knowledge and practice experiences through self-identified, unstructured learning opportunities. Students value high quality, easily accessible EM education resources and employ e-learning resources to bridge gaps in their learning opportunities. However, students desire that these resources be complemented by in-person educational sessions and executed in collaboration with local EM experts who are able to contextualize materials, offer mentorship, and help students develop their interest in EM to continue the growth of the EM specialty.

Evaluation of a massive open online course for just-in-time training of healthcare workers.

Introduction: COVID-19 created a global need for healthcare worker (HCW) training. Initially, mass trainings focused on public health workers and physicians working in intensive care units. However, in resource-constrained settings, nurses and general practitioners provide most patient care, typically lacking the training and equipment to manage critically ill patients. We developed a massive open online course (MOOC) for HCWs in resource-constrained settings aimed at training bedside providers caring for COVID-19 patients. We describe the development, implementation and analysis of this MOOC. Methods: From May through June 2020, the course was developed by a multi-disciplinary team and launched on two online platforms in July. The 4-hour course comprises 6 video-based modules. Student knowledge was assessed using pre- and post-module quizzes and final exam, while demographics and user experience were evaluated by pre- and post-course surveys and learning platform data. Results: From July 17th to September 24th, 30,859 students enrolled, 18,818 started, and 7,101 completed the course. Most participants worked in healthcare (78%) and resided in lower middle- (38%) or upper middle- (20%) income countries. Learners from upper middle-income and lower middle-income countries had higher completion rates. Knowledge gains were observed from pre-module to post-module quizzes and a final exam. Afterward, participants reported increased self-efficacy regarding course objectives, a 0.63 mean increase on a 4-point scale (95% CI [0.60,0.66]). Most participants (93%) would recommend the course to others. Conclusion: This article demonstrates the potential of MOOCs to rapidly provide access to emerging medical knowledge during a public health crisis, particularly for HCWs in high- and middle-income countries.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: An uncommon cause of cardiac arrest in the young.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a cause of acute coronary syndrome that frequently goes undiagnosed due to its rarity and variable presentation. Additionally, patients with SCAD are frequently young and relatively healthy; factors that may inadvertently lower clinical suspicion of serious pathology, thereby causing delayed or missed diagnosis and inadequate management. Our case report describes a young female who presents after cardiac arrest with inconclusive initial labs and diagnostic tests who was ultimately diagnosed with SCAD. Additionally, we briefly review the pathogenesis and risk factors, as well as the diagnostic and management recommendations for SCAD.

Paediatric use of emergency medical services in India: A retrospective cohort study of one million children.

Background: Millions of children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience illness or trauma amenable to emergency medical interventions, but local resources are not sufficient to treat them. Emergency medical services (EMS), including ambulance transport, bridge the gap between local services and higher-level hospital care, and data collected by EMS could be used to elucidate patterns of paediatric health care need and use. Here we conducted a retrospective observational study of patterns of paediatric use of EMS services by children who used EMS in India, a leader in maternal and child EMS development, to inform public health needs and system interventions to improve EMS effectiveness. Methods: We analysed three years (2013-2015) of data from patients <18 years of age from a large prehospital EMS system in India, including 1 101 970 prehospital care records across 11 states and a union territory. Results: Overall, 38.3% of calls were for girls (n = 422 370), 40.5% were for adolescents (n = 445 753), 65.9% were from rural areas (n = 726 154), and most families were from a socially disadvantaged caste or lower economic status (n = 834 973, 75.8%). The most common chief complaints were fever (n = 247 594, 22.5%), trauma (n = 231 533, 21.0%), and respiratory difficulty (n = 161 120, 14.6%). However, transport patterns, including patient sex and age and type of destination hospital, varied by state, as did data collection. Conclusions: EMS in India widely transports children with symptoms of the leading causes of child mortality and provides access to higher levels of care for geographically and socioeconomically vulnerable populations, including care for critically ill neonates, mental health and burn care for girls, and trauma care for adolescents. EMS in India is an important mechanism for overcoming transport and cost as barriers to access, and for reducing the urban-rural gap found across causes of child mortality. Further standardisation of data collection will provide the foundation for assessing disparities and identifying targets for quality improvement of paediatric care.

Developing Emergency Triage Systems in Cambodia.

As Cambodia works to rebuild its public health system, an area of focus has been improving the quality of emergency services. After a needs assessment in 2011, project partners identified the implementation of a patient triage system as the first target for development efforts. A context-specific triage system was created using the input of a spectrum of local stakeholders. It was tailored to fit the needs and resources available within the Cambodian health system. The system was implemented through a series of educational interventions at 35 public hospitals throughout nine Cambodian provinces. Follow-up quality improvement visits occurred on a quarterly basis between February 2016 and September 2018, during which feedback on the system was gathered using both quantitative and qualitative methods, and additional system updates were implemented. In this technical report we aim to describe the triage system design, implementation and quality improvement processes utilized with the hope of informing and supporting colleagues working to address similar challenges in other areas of the world. Through this assessment process a number of key observations were made: 1) Establishment of context-specific emergency triage systems is feasible in low resource settings; 2) Development of new triage processes requires an iterative approach; 3) Successful uptake of new practice systems requires flexibility from both the implementers and end-users in the development relationship; 4) Process improvement requires consistent retraining and reinforcement.

Continuing Education for Prehospital Healthcare Providers in India - A Novel Course and Concept.

BACKGROUND: Emergency medical services (EMS) in India face enormous challenges in providing care to a geographically expansive and diverse patient population. Over the last decade, the public-private-partnership GVK EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) has trained over 100,000 emergency medical technicians (EMTs), with greater than 21,000 currently practicing, to address this critical gap in the healthcare workforce. With the rapid development and expansion of EMS, certain aspects of specialty development have lagged behind, including continuing education requirements. To date, there have been no substantial continuing education EMT skills and training efforts. We report lessons learned during development and implementation of a continuing education course (CEC) for EMTs in India. METHODS: From 2014 to 2017, we employed an iterative process to design and launch a novel CEC focused on five core emergency competency areas (medicine and cardiology, obstetrics, trauma, pediatrics, and leadership and communication). Indian EMT instructors and providers partnered in design and content, and instructors were trained to independently deliver the CEC. Many challenges had to be overcome: scale (>21,000 EMTs), standardization (highly variable skill levels among providers and instructors), culture (educational emphasis on rote memorization rather than practical application), and translation (22 major languages and a few hundred local dialects spoken nationwide). LESSONS LEARNED: During the assessment and development phases, we identified five key strategies for success: (1) use icon-based video instruction to ensure consistent quality and allow voice-over for easy translation; (2) incorporate workbooks during didactic videos and (3) employ low-cost simulation and case discussions to emphasize active learning; (4) focus on non-technical skills; (5) integrate a formal training-of-trainers prior to delivery of materials. CONCLUSION: These key strategies can be combined with innovation and flexibility to address unique challenges of language, system resources, and cultural differences when developing impactful continuing educational initiatives in bourgeoning prehospital care systems in low- and middle-income countries.

Interobserver Agreement of Planar and SPECT Tc99m-MIBI Scintigraphy for the Assessment of Hypofunctioning Thyroid Nodules.

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid scintigraphy with 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) is a helpful tool for the risk stratification of thyroid nodules (TN). Whereas a nodule with low or hypointense MIBI uptake has a low risk for malignancy, a hyperintense uptake may indicate a malignant nodule, which requires surgical resection. The appropriate diagnostic or therapeutic regimen of an isointense nodule with an uptake similar to the paranodular tissue is discussed controversially. Aim of this study was to assess the interobserver agreement (IA) for the assignment of TN to the three categories: hypo-, iso-or hyperintense. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of planar and SPECT images of MIBI scintigraphy was performed in 36 randomly selected patients with hypofunctioning TN and histological diagnosis. Four observers with different levels of experience in MIBI-scintigraphy analyzed MIBI uptake and assigned the nodules to the appropriate category. To assess the IA, Fleiss' Kappa was calculated. RESULTS: The study cohort included 11 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (diameter 20.3 mm) and 25 patients with benign nodules (diameter 24.8 mm). The IA for all nodules using planar images was 0.76 compared to 0.80 for SPECT images. The IA was better in the subgroup of malignant nodules for planar images as well as SPECT images (Kappa 0.91 and 0.90, respectively) compared to benign nodules (0.65 and 0.76, respectively). Using SPECT images, only one thyroid carcinoma presented with hypointense uptake, the remainder with hyper- or isointense uptake. In contrast, benign nodules were found in all categories. CONCLUSION: MIBI scintigraphy shows a good IA for the interpretation of thyroid carcinoma. The IA is further improved if MIBI scintigraphy is performed in SPECT technique.

Comparison of Online and Classroom-based Formats for Teaching Emergency Medicine to Medical Students in Uganda.

OBJECTIVES: Severe global shortages in the health care workforce sector have made improving access to essential emergency care challenging. The paucity of trained specialists in low- and middle-income countries translates to large swathes of the population receiving inadequate care. Efforts to expand emergency medicine (EM) education are similarly impeded by a lack of available and appropriate teaching faculty. The development of comprehensive, online medical education courses offers a potentially economical, scalable, and lasting solution for universities experiencing professional shortages. METHODS: An EM course addressing core concepts and patient management was developed for medical students enrolled at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda. Material was presented to students in two comparable formats: online video modules and traditional classroom-based lectures. Following completion of the course, students were assessed for knowledge gains. RESULTS: Forty-two and 48 students enrolled and completed all testing in the online and classroom courses, respectively. Student knowledge gains were equivalent (classroom 25 ± 8.7% vs. online 23 ± 6.5%, p = 0.18), regardless of the method of course delivery. CONCLUSIONS: A summative evaluation of Ugandan medical students demonstrated that online teaching modules are effectively equivalent and offer a viable alternative to traditional classroom-based lectures delivered by on-site, visiting faculty in their efficacy to teach expertise in EM. Web-based curriculum can help alleviate the burden on universities in developing nations struggling with a critical shortage of health care educators while simultaneously satisfying the growing community demand for access to emergency medical care. Future studies assessing the long-term retention of course material could gauge its incorporation into clinical practice.

Implementing an Innovative Prehospital Care Provider Training Course in Nine Cambodian Provinces.

Despite significant improvements in health outcomes nationally, many Cambodians continue to experience morbidity and mortality due to inadequate access to quality emergency medical services. Over recent decades, the Cambodian healthcare system and civil infrastructure have advanced markedly and now possess many of the components required to establish a well functioning emergency medical system. These components include enhanced access to emergency transportation through large scale road development efforts, widspread availability of emergency communication channels via the spread of cellphone and internet technology, and increased access to health services for poor patients through the implementation of health financing schemes. However, the system still lacks a number of key elements, one of which is trained prehospital care providers. Working in partnership with local providers, our team created an innovative, Cambodia-specific prehospital care provider training course to help fill this gap. Participants received training on prehospital care skills and knowledge most applicable to the Cambodian healthcare system, which was divided into four modules: Basic Prehospital Care Skills and Adult Medical Emergencies, Traumatic Emergencies, Obstetric Emergencies, and Neonatal/Pediatric Emergencies. The course was implemented in nine of Cambodia's most populous provinces, concurrent with a number of overarching emergency medical service system improvement efforts. Overall, the course was administered to 1,083 Cambodian providers during a 27-month period, with 947 attending the entire course and passing the course completion exam.