Fast lung ultrasound teaching program
The University Centre for International Solidarity of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in collaboration with the Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, IRCCS, intends to contribute to the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic in the Developing Countries contexts with the distance learning project "Fast lung ultrasound teaching program beyond Europe during COVID-19 pandemic: Africa's reality".
The intervention is aimed at health workers with ultrasound experience employed in hospitals and health centres on the African continent. Ten gynaecologists, paediatricians, pneumologists from Fondazione Policlinico A.Gemelli, IRCSS, together with physicists and engineers from the University of Trento working on artificial intelligence have prepared a training protocol to support doctors and health care workers in situ in the use of the ultrasound in order to verify the condition of patients' lungs. The use of this tool, in many cases available in African hospitals to monitor pregnant women, can be converted into this emergency situation also to assess the respiratory problems of patients with Covid symptoms.
Benedict Medical Centre – Kampala, Uganda
Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital – Kalongo, Uganda
Muhimbili National Hospital - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
East-shore College of Health Care Professional – Boosaso, Somalia
Dodoma Christian Medical Center – Dodoma, Tanzania
St. Gemma Hospital – Dodoma, Tanzania
Ngaoundal Hospital – Ngaoundal, Camerun
St. Agostina Health Center, Shiré, Ethiopia
St. Francis Nsambya Hospital – Kampala, Uganda
Hopital Militaire – Gibuti, Repubblica di Gibuti
Ospedale di Tosamaganga – Iringa, Tanzania
College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Etiopia
University Hospital of Kamenge, Bujumbura, Burundi
Adigrat General Hospital, Etiopia
Ospedale Regionale - Jowhar, Somalia
The distance learning was held on two days (7 and 14 May 2020) with a first lesson for doctors, sonographers, nurses and midwives to whom the project wanted to convey the basic principles of lung ultrasound through the course also by explanatory videos. The lesson started with the projection of 10 ultrasound video clips showing typical normal or pathological ultrasound models, at the end of which participants were asked to answer a short questionnaire. The second lesson was dedicated to verify the skills acquired by participants and present and discuss clinical cases together.
You can find more info in the articles by CattolicaNews and Worldbound.
You can watch the lessons here:
