Medical residents in Tanzania are now developing their skills using eIntegrity’s award-winning e-Learning for Anaesthesia (e-LA) programme. This is the result of a unique project involving the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands and eIntegrity.
The KCMC, which lies at the foot of Kilimanjaro, provides surgical services for local and referred patients from a large catchment area of 15 million people in Northern Tanzania. Radboud has worked with the KCMC for the past 20 years, sharing knowledge and training, and this work has recently extended to anaesthesia.
Sandra van den Heuvel, from the Department of Anesthesiology at Radboud, said: “Our own residents in the Netherlands have been using e-LA with great success for some time now. So, with eIntegrity’s support, we’ve been able to make this resource available at an affordable price to the KCMC.”
e-LA covers the core knowledge and skills that underpin specialist training in anaesthesia, pain and critical care medicine. The learning material, which has been written and peer-reviewed by leading experts from the UK Royal College of Anaesthetists, includes more than 800 high-quality knowledge sessions, with images, videos, animations and self-assessment exercises. The programme is now available to all residents within the anaesthesia faculty at the KCMC.
Ansbert Sweetbert Ndebea, third-year anaesthesia resident at KCMC, said: “The programme is helping us to improve our skills and provide better patient care. We can find all the clinical information in one place rather than having to search around.
“The content is good and there are lots of videos and animations too. The material is continually updated and the assessments help us to prepare for exams. It’s great that we have access to a top-quality resource that is used internationally.”
Sandra added: “Through our partnership with eIntegrity and the KCMC, we’ve been able to make this world-class resource available to anaesthesia residents in one of the poorest parts of the world.
She concluded: “e-LA provides comprehensive coverage of all the key clinical themes. It is easy to use and you can study wherever and whenever you choose. The programme supports traditional teaching by encouraging trainees to research key topics independently and it also provides excellent preparation for clinical casework.”
The team from Radboud has been supported by Global Partners in Anesthesia and Surgery, and visiting anaesthesiologists from the UK. They have provided support and advice to help the residents get the best use out of the e-learning.
For further information about e-LA, please go to: www.eintegrity.org/anaesthesia
