Staff Development
Dr. Nget leads Lunchtime Lectures for AHC Medical
Staff (left)
Dr. Varun Kumar provides an afternoon lecture to AHC's junior doctors
(right)
Continuing education for AHC staff is designed to enhance
their professional development in practice, education, administration
and research, which ultimately benefits the health of the children and
families they serve.
In January, education and training for hospital medical staff included
ongoing programs such as AHC’s Curriculum for Junior Doctors, regional
workshops, as well as our own “Lunchtime Lectures” series. The lecture
series in January included a variety of topics, such as:
- “Mortality review” (Dr. Nget and Dr. Peng An)
- “PDA surgery at AHC” (Dr. Lyda)
- “Deformities of the lower limbs” (Dr. Godner)
- “Effects of anit-parasite medications on anemia” (Dr. Heng)
For our Nursing Department, ongoing educational opportunities included
daily patient conferences, weekly nursing presentations as well as a
weekly doctor’s lecture for nurses. Also in January, more than 60 AHC
nurses completed a review of First-Aid training and CPR conducted by
a visiting team of volunteer specialists from Medical Teams International.
Congratulations are also in order for a few of our staff members who
successfully went to Phnom Penh this month and sat for International
English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations: Seng Phearum (scored
5.0), Duong Vibol (scored 6.0) and Dr. Chheng (scored 7.0)
Som Chamroeun conducts basic English class for hospital housekeeping
staff
International volunteers continue to be invaluable learning
resources for AHC staff members. In January, more than 40 volunteers
from around the world generously donated their time, including volunteers
from Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Singapore and the USA.
Medical and surgical specialists spent time working alongside the Cambodian
doctors. In addition to providing scheduled lectures and workshops,
volunteers often provide one-to-one supervision and mentoring of junior
medical staff.
Dr. Marvin Garnder (USA) mentors AHC's Dr. Seng
Vannara.
This is Dr. Marvin’s sixth year of volunteering at AHC.
Family Education
AHC staff Ms. Heng Chan teaches mothers how to cook
healthy food (left)
More than 130 parents in January learned how to provide simple at-home
treatments to their children with diarrhea (right)
Thousands of parents are provided education each month at AHC. A variety
of methods (DVDs, flipcharts, pamphlets) are used each day to help families
better understand how to care for the children both in the hospital
and when they return to their homes. The focus remains on providing
basic information on the diseases and conditions most affecting Cambodia’s
children.
The cornerstone of providing education to families is individual bedside
teaching. AHC has implemented several innovative approaches to help
parents better care for their children. Programs such as demonstration
cooking classes target mothers with malnourished children; the Oral
Rehydration Corner teaches parents how to treat simple diarrhea at home;
and our Phsyiotherpay department teaches parents how to provide simple
exercises at home for special needs children.
In January, education extended outside the hospital as well and reached
several hundred families and children. In addition to teaching during
individual family visits, our Home Care staff spent time with more than
120 children and caretakers at various local organizations, covering
such topics as how to prevent diarrhea, the importance of vitamin A
and basic nutrition, and the appropriate use of medications.
Our Dental Outreach programs taught more than 700 children and parents
at local schools and Health Centers about basic dental hygiene, and
gave each of the children a toothbrush to take home. Our Eye Clinic
program lectured to more than 120 teachers and students at Chong Khneas
School on blindness prevention.
AHC Dental Nurse Chuo Chanthol teaches local
schoolchildren
on how to correctly use a toothbrush
Training For Rural Hospital Staff
Approximately 85% of Cambodia’s population lives in the countryside
and for many of these families access to appropriate health care facilities
is extremely limited. Responding to this need, AHC has developed a Pediatric
Basic and Emergency Care (PBEC) course for rural based doctors and nurses
which we conduct twice a year. The goal of this training course is to
produce doctors and nurses who can practice pediatrics safely, ethically
and competently in their own facility, leading to better pediatric care
in rural areas and children would be much more likely to receive adequate
treatment at their local facility instead of having to travel to AHC.
In January, 7 doctors employed at rural government hospitals began
the two month PBEC course at AHC. An additional 9 nurses from these
facilities began the one month PBEC course designed for nurses. Rural
hospitals participating include Preah Vehear, Kranlanh, Sotnikhum, Anlong
Veng, and Mogkol Borei.
AHC Dr. Kheng Chhheng teaches doctors from rural
government hospitals (left)
AHC Nurse Khlu Khly teaches nurses from rural government hospitals (right)
IMCI Training Site
One of the plans by the Cambodian Ministry of Health (MOH) for improving
child survival includes the adoption of the Integrated Management of
Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy. The WHO-led IMCI strategy aims include
strengthening the skills of health workers in child illness case management;
promoting health service; delivery with supportive supervision; management
and referral systems and essential drug supply for child health; and
promoting appropriate family and household practices.
For more than three years AHC has acted as a MOH designated site for
IMCI training, playing a key role in improving the quality of pediatric
care for the entire country. AHC remains one of only two hospitals in
Cambodia chosen by the MOH to host these IMCI training sessions.
In January, two of the two-week IMCI training sessions were held at
AHC. In total 48 Cambodian health workers from the rural areas of Mongkol
Borie, Thmor Puok and Kralanh completed the training this month.
Dr. Pheaktra leads IMCI group (left)
IMCI training participant practices assessment skills in AHC’s Outpatient
Department (right)
Helping to Revise National Health Care
Guidelines
More than just focusing on constantly trying to improve the quality
of care for children arriving at AHC, the staff is also committed to
working on improving the standards of care for all Cambodian children.
To this extent, at the request of the Ministry of Health, several AHC
doctors will be helping to revise the national Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Dr. Pheaktra will be working on Pediatric care guidelines, Dr. Vuthy
will be contributing to surgical care guidelines, and Dr. Leakheana
will assist with developing guidelines for Avian Influenza.
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