In partnership with Addis Ababa University/Black Lion Hospital (Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital), GADP and the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society International Training Education Foundation (CASIEF) have been working together to run EADP since 2018.
Ethiopia currently has around 40 locally trained anaesthesiologists working in the country. This is well below the WHO-WFSA recommendation of 5 physician anaesthetists per 100,000 population, considering Ethiopia has a population of around 105-110 million people.
EADP has supported the rapid expansion of the anaesthesia program over the last two years, allowing the number of residents in training to more than double to 49. EADP recruits and supports anaesthesia teaching Fellows for 3-6 month placements, alongside short-term visiting consultant faculty visits for up to 2 months, who together provide training in the operating theatre, classroom and simulation environment. EADP also supports and runs specific courses providing further education and mentoring to local staff.
The EADP Fellows divide their time between clinical teaching in theatres and other education, training and QI support. Current projects include:
- establishing a regular simulation training program for residents, allowing practice of both non-technical skills and management of anaesthetic emergencies
- organising a one-month induction course for novice anaesthesia residents, which include daily lectures, as well as daily practical skills and simulation sessions (using the VAST Foundation Curriculum developed in Rwanda)
- supporting residents in the running of several quality improvement projects, including improving daily anaesthetic machine checks, creating a difficult airway and emergency trolley, and improving the quality of intra-hospital transfers
- creating a digital theatre logbook that will allow easy analysis of the anaesthetic caseload, significant events and equipment/medication issues
- creation of an adverse events logbook to facilitate learning through morbidity and mortality meetings and to help prevent similar events in the future
- the organisation of specific workshops to address current gaps in training, such as difficult airway management, advanced life support (ALS) and defibrillation
- helping to facilitate the organisation of specific courses, both through logistics, liaising with the different interested parties and as member of the course faculty
The visiting faculty spend the majority of their time in the operating theatres, where they are involved in one-to-one and small group teaching and support based on the clinical caseload. This might involve theoretical discussions of presenting cases as well as support in clinical decision making around difficult cases, such as managing difficult airways, resuscitating an unstable patient or timing of surgery.
In addition, we aim to provide small group teaching of specific clinical skills, for example ultrasound and regional nerve blocking workshops as well as fibreoptic technique practice.
The size of the anaesthesia training program is due to further increase to respond to the extraordinary need for physician anaesthetists. GADP & CASIEF are helping to support this expansion at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, as well as actively looking into ways of supporting new training programs locally and in other parts of the country.
Find out more about our work in our annual report.
