SIERRA LEONE ANESTHESIOLOGY CONFERENCE

Anesthesiology Conference
Consultant Anesthetist Dr. Keith Thomson, a Mercy Ships International Board Member and a regular short-term crew member from the UK, recently arranged the Second Anesthesiology Conference at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown,Sierra Leone. The three-day conference was locally organized by Dr. Michael Koroma, who heads the Anesthesia Department at Sierra Leone’s Department of Health and Sanitation, and Sister Florence Bull. Dr. Matt Walters was the UK coordinator of programs.
This refresher course for nurse anesthetists drew forty trained nurse anesthetists from hospitals around Sierra Leone. In addition to more than a dozen local trainees, a team of hand-picked health professionals traveled from the UK to help facilitate the program which was held in tandem with the conference for midwives.
The opening ceremony included an announcement of an essay competition with a monetary prize. Anesthetists and midwives met together for the morning session on the second day and then split into small workshops in the afternoon session. Workshops and demonstrations were held to assist health professionals in Sierra Leone to better utilize their current medical facilities and equipment. Attendees took part in demonstrations of possible situations, with trainers praising correct responses, correcting incorrect ones, and leading the group analysis of all responses. These hands-on workshops encouraged participation and demonstrated effective approaches to problems. Practicing the correct order of procedures ensures successful responses in real emergencies.
Subjects covered during the training included airway management, fluid and drug calculation, critical incidents for children, estimating blood loss, assessment of critically ill patients, circulation, coping with chest trauma, and utilizing team work to improve outcomes. On the third day of the conference, Dr. Thomson spoke on the job of an anesthetist, highlighting challenges.
At the closing ceremony, Dr. Sahr Kpakiwa, considered to be the “father” of anesthesia in Sierra Leone, distributed certificates to all delegates. In addition, all attendees received a DVD of all presentations and a bag of disposable medical equipment.
The team facilitators/anesthetists from the UK included Dr. Keith Thomson, Dr. Ruth Broadbent, Dr. Steve Morris, Dr. Paul Theron, and Sister Dr. Sarah Davidson. The team facilitators/midwives were Louise Emmett, Rhiannon Grindle, Harriet Ivey, and Ruth Morris. Dr. Thomson’s daughter, Rebecca Thomson, a paramedic, assisted with administration. Mercy Ships Programs Director Keith Brinkman coordinated the team logistics.
Sponsors of the event included Mercy Ships, the Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, The Shalimar Trust, and The Squirrels Trust.
Story by Elaine B. Winn
Photos Debra Bell