4th ICU module provided in Ghana; Sustainability is the goal!

From 2-6 July MeduProf-S lecturer Olaf van Oosterhout travelled to Ghana to conduct the fourth module of 6 on ICU nursing. This fourth module was like the other 3 modules a combination of lecturing and practising in the classroom and teaching on the job.

The participants are trained to become trainers at their own ward, the “Train the Trainer” principle. To achieve this objective the participants were taught didactical skills as well as in-depth knowledge on ICU nursing.

During the next 2 modules on ICU nursing the participants will become more and more competent, so that the end of the day when the project is finished the hospital will have competent teachers in ICU. The same 7 participants as in the previous modules were present.

The lectures of the first and second day were proudly conducted by the participants. This showed that their didactical skills are improving tremendously and it is also a good opportunity to learn to give feedback. The topics were: pain-control, communication with the ICU patient and relatives, primary and secundary survey, bronchial toilet, decubitus/ulcera, monitoring of an ICU patient and wound dressing.

Furthermore in Module 4 CPR basic and advanced life support was trained in combination with a very difficult aspect: switching from protocol to protocol. This topic will return in module 5 in several practical ICU assessments.

Lectures during this module: Mechanical ventilation, clinical reasoning, cell metabolism,  anatomy of the heart,

anatomy of the lungs and European CPR guidelines.

Skilss-lab training during this module: Monitoring of a critically ill (ICU) patient, difference between defibrillation and cardio version, communication/feedback.

Every day had a practical bedside training component. Sustainability is the final goal and it is promising to see the results so far!