ETATing in Kenema
on Shona in Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone), 16/Jul/2011 13:10, 34 days ago
Cat and I went to Kenema this week to do some training for the nursing staff on Emergency Triage and Treatment in children. We had been saying for a long time that we should arrange a visit to Susan and Dickya (two VSO nurse trainers) so we finally managed to arrange it.We got up early Sunday morning (by early I mean 4am!) to catch the government bus to Kenema. Apart from the near-fight over seats before we set off (the bus driver told the people fighting to“shut up, we’re travelling as a family, let’s pray for a safe journey” and they all did!) it was one of the more pleasant journeys on African public transport I have over made. Individual seats, a bit of leg room, and there was only one chicken (and no goats). We made it to Kenema by lunchtime and were met by Dickya, Susan and Vasile (another VSO who is working in agriculture). After lunch and a rest we were joined by Cedric (another VSO doctor) and had a last planning session and delegation of jobs for the course.So on Monday we started the three day course! Nurses and community health officers had come from the paediatric department, the under 5s clinic and out-patients in Kenema, along with two nurse tutors from the polytechnic and three nurses from another hospital in Pujehan. We had sessions on how to triage, recognition of essential signs and symptoms, paediatric basic life support, airway, breathing, circulation, coma, convulsions and dehydration. The most fun part of the course was doing“Skills Stations” where the participants got to practice new skills such as resuscitation, triage, vital signs and how to put in NG tubes. We used scenario-based teaching which was new to many but they picked it up very quickly. It was also great to see that many nurses suggested ways in which systems need to change within their hospitals to provide a triage system to improve paediatric care.We passed the evenings with Susan, Dickya, Cedric and Neil (who had joined us from Pujehan after getting over his bout of malaria)playing table tennis and eating some fantastic food (a combination of Sri Lankan– as Susan’s husband is Sri Lankan - and Phillipino food, and a great spaghetti bolognese made with corned beef – tastier than you would imagine!) I got a small reminder of home too – Fatorma (the house help) has Auld Lang Syne as his ring tone!I also did something I hadn’t done so far in Sierra Leone – as our transport back to Vasile’s house each night was an okada (motorbike)! There are no taxis or poda podas in Kenema so I no choice but to use them. (Note to my Mum - you’ll be pleased to know I borrowed Susan’s helmet and clearly have survived to tell the tale).On the last evening we held a surprise birthday party for Susan (whose birthday is while she is home in the UK) and leaving party for Neil.On the final day of the course we held sessions on how to implement ETAT in the participants’ respective work-places. This stimulated lively discussion and lots of good suggestions from all involved. Susan and Dickya are going to follow up the training now we are back in Freetown so I hope the momentum will continue to enable improvements in paediatric care in Kenema and Pujehan.For the finale Dickya suggested using the word PIKIN (the Krio word for child) to stand for:P– ParticipatoryI– InterestingK– Knowledge-enrichingI– InteractiveN– Nourishing (not just intellectually but also physically with breakfast and lunch provided!)We then pluralized it to make the word PIKINDEM (which means children) as it was time to move on from what we’ve learned by becoming:DEVELOPED individuallyEMPOWERED as a group andMOTIVATED to make a difference.I thought this really summed up the whole course and, along with a ceremony to give out certificates, was a great way to finish up a fun three days. Thank you so much to everyone in Kenema for your hospitality.