Improving Child Health through Paediatric Ultrasound: Implementation of Ultrasound Courses in Bhutan
Situation:
Building on nearly two decades of experience in conducting ultrasound training in low- and middle-income countries, this project aims to improve pediatric care in Bhutan by introducing high-quality, cost-effective, and easily accessible pediatric ultrasound imaging. In collaboration with local partners, the project seeks to establish a teaching center for pediatric ultrasound training. Furthermore, scientific monitoring will be conducted to evaluate local needs and investigate the impact of using pediatric ultrasound.
Objectives:
To provide ultrasound training and advancement of diagnostic skills of paediatric medical staff and to identify and train potential paediatric ultrasound trainers.
Training of Bhutanese physicians in paediatric ultrasound techniques: Annually train approx. 15-20 participants per course, in basic and advanced ultrasound techniques. In Total 30-40 participants will be trained after 2 years.
Number of local competent tutors and multipliers who conduct the courses annually: Target: 1 to 2.
More frequent and competent use of ultrasound in everyday clinical practice: Comparison of the number of patients before and after project implementation who receive high-quality ultrasound and its impact on diagnosis and disease progression.
Development of a standard curriculum for ultrasound courses for everyday clinical practice in Bhutan.
Implementation and evaluation of ultrasound courses through joint teaching by local and international tutors and experts.
Continuing education opportunities in the form of observerships for local tutors and experts at German pediatric hospitals.
Equipping the hospital with modern ultrasound equipment for teaching and clinical practice
Standardized ultrasound courses create an evidence-based teaching structure, with the Gyaltsuen-Jetsun-Pema-Wangchuck Mother and Child Hospital as the course location and being developed into a central training center for continuing education of the whole country. The aim is to establish a regular course program in pediatric sonography and echocardiography, with a particular focus on training the trainers and mentoring to create long-term and sustainable training opportunities locally. Developing and delivering the courses in collaboration with local experts and training local teachers and multipliers strengthens teaching expertise and enables the offer of courses beyond the initial two-year period. The hospital itself covers the local costs of the course (room rental, supplies, and meals), thus ensuring the sustainability of the course program beyond the project duration. The project will build and improve the competence of clinical staff in pediatric ultrasound diagnostics.
Ultrasound imaging is currently gaining diagnostic importance worldwide due to technological advances, improved image quality, and wider availability. Compact, portable, and cost-effective devices enable high-quality ultrasound diagnostics across various medical disciplines, even outside of radiology departments and at the point of care. While general pediatric ultrasound is typically a comprehensive, detailed imaging method and the first-line imaging modality for many pediatric conditions, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) distinguishes itself with limited, targeted, and often binary questions as a focused examination. POCUS has become an integral part of medical algorithms in adult emergency medicine and is increasingly establishing itself in pediatric emergency medicine. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is considered to have the potential to "globally improve pediatric patient care" in the pediatric emergency department (le Coz et al. 2018).*
*Le Coz, Julien; Orlandini, Silvia; Titomanlio, Luigi; Rinaldi, Victoria Elisa (2018): Point of care ultrasonography in the paediatric emergency department. In: Italian journal of paediatrics 44 (1), S. 87. DOI: 10.1186/s13052-018-0520-y.
Further information: https://globalchildhealth.de/en/ipun/
