Transitioning to Ugandan instructors

Judith demonstrating insertion of an intraosseous needle into a dehydrated baby’s shin bone

Skills are taught as a 4-stage procedure – silent run through, demonstration with explanation, learners talking instructor through the skill and then all have a go. This imprints the skill on the learners’ minds. Which is why it is very important for the instructor to get it right and be consistent!

Phionah demonstrating how to make CPAP to support a premature baby’s breathing

There is no piped oxygen in Bwindi Community Hospital. The grey machine on the floor here is an oxygen concentrator. If the ensuing oxygen/air mix is then piped through a bottle of mineral water, the pressure at which it reaches the baby’s nostrils can be increased. Preterm babies’ lungs tend to collapse with each expiration and putting them on this CPAP helps to prevent that.

Dr Alex running a workshop on recognising “danger signs” and managing the sick infant in a timely fashion

We use the Global Health Media videos to illustrate much of what we are teaching. They are excellent videos on all aspects of medical care in resource poor areas of the world. Check out the breastfeeding ones which I think we should show more in the UK. Uganda has very high rates of breastfeeding so here we concentrate more on recognition of the sick infant, for which these videos are also very useful. https://globalhealthmedia.org/videos/

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