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Capacity building in emergency care: An example from M adang, P apua N ew G uinea
Author(s) -
Phillips Georgina A,
Hendrie Jamie,
Atua Vincent,
Manineng Clement
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2012.01597.x
Subject(s) - medicine , accreditation , health care , resource (disambiguation) , medical education , emergency department , nursing , computer network , computer science , economic growth , economics
Background D ivine W ord U niversity ( DWU ) is an emerging national university of P apua N ew G uinea ( PNG ) based in the provincial capital of M adang, providing training for H ealth E xtension O fficers ( HEOs ). HEOs form the backbone of healthcare delivery in PNG as clinicians, public health officers and health centre managers. Both campus‐based and clinical teaching at the nearby M odilon H ospital is limited because of significant resource constraints. Objective This article describes a visiting clinical lecturer programme in which A ustralasian emergency physicians and emergency registrars deliver teaching to HEO students at DWU and M odilon H ospital. Methods Volunteer doctors are briefed pre‐departure and given prepared educational tools. Visits are from 2 weeks to 3 months, and include the possibility of accredited training for emergency registrars through the A ustralasian C ollege for E mergency M edicine. DWU provides secure accommodation and assistance with travel and visa logistics. Tasks for visiting lecturers include delivering campus‐based teaching on emergency medicine ( EM ) topics, structured and opportunistic bedside tutorials, and clinical teaching and assistance with ED care alongside local EM clinicians. Discussion Programme evaluation has relied on qualitative feedback, which has been positive from all stakeholders. Visiting lecturers gain teaching skills and insights into the challenges of emergency healthcare delivery in an international, resource‐constrained setting. Local staff receive assistance and support as well as learning new teaching skills. Students receive increased interactive learning opportunities. Conclusion This programme provides positive models of both emergency care capacity building in a resource‐constrained setting and training in international EM for A ustralasian clinicians.