Series: “Interview with the Author…”
The badEM crew interviewed Hendry Robert-Sawe regarding his newly released article in AfJEM Volume 6 Issue 3 entitled: “Bedside ultrasound training at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Hospital San Carlos in Chiapas, Mexico” by Teri A Reynolds, Jeanne Noble, Gehres Paschal, Hendry Robert Sawe, Aparajita Sohoni, Sachita Shah, Bret Nicks, Victor Mwafongo, John Stein
Link to open access article: Click here
Corresponding author email: hendry_sawe@yahoo.com
1. Tell us about yourself. How did you get involved in this field/this research?
I have broad experience in emergency medicine & global health policy, with specific training in qualitative & quantitative research methods & a focus on emergency care system development in sub-Saharan Africa. As PI or co-investigator on university- & foundation-funded grants, I have worked to build emergency care research & clinical capacity in low & middle income countries, including the creation of open-access curricula & research instruments. I previously directed the Emergency Medicine Residency & research programs at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania. As part of this project, I successfully led a multi-university-collaboration, creating the infrastructure for both educational & research initiatives that have been sustained & expanded since handover to local leadership. As Chair of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) Scientific Committee, I served as Editor of the AFEM Emergency Care curriculum & directed the AFEM regional Trauma Data Project. In my current role leading the emergency & trauma care program in the Department for the Management of NCDs, Disability, Violence & Injury Prevention at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, I lead a range of initiatives to assess & strengthen emergency care systems. My activities include conducting research to establish an evidence base for the impact of emergency care & to evaluate the impact of a range of system development initiatives.
2. What were the key findings from this study?
Introducing bedside ultrasound in two distinct resource-limited settings was feasible & well-received. Providers were very interested in receiving training in bedside ultrasound & completed all course sessions, even though participation significantly increased the length of their work day. After a brief intensive period of training, participants successfully passed a comprehensive examination, including demonstration of standardized image acquisition & accurate interpretation of normal & abnormal studies. Overall, participants were satisfied with the course, although there approximately one-third of providers at both sites would have preferred more hands-on training. Obstetrical, hepatobiliary & trauma applications were identified as the most useful.
3. What do these findings mean within the African context?
Ultrasound is both feasible & an affordable bedside diagnostic tool that can be deployed with minimum training to providers across Africa with significant impact to a substantial number of patients. Hospitals & programs should advocate for more use & access to bedside ultrasound availability to support care, regardless of the level of hospital (Tertiary vs Lower).
Check out the full-text open access article: Click here
More about AfJEM (excerpt from their newsletter)
AfJEM is an open access publication in the spirit of bringing #FOAMed to Africa. This is an important consideration, especially in a low to middle income setting where prospective readers, that may benefit from published information, will most likely not be able to access subscription based journal content. The AfJEM has no front end (author) or back end (reader) fees, & on top of that it offers a free Author Assist service that has been shown to reverse one in every four reject decisions (of manuscripts that fall within the journal’s scope) over the last five years.
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