Disaster Medicine Training Restart after Covid 19

Developing Pre-hospital Trauma Care capacity for low- & middle-income countries – A unique initiative with
Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC), Royal College of Surgeons, Ed.

The FPHC and the Faculty of Disaster Medicine – India and Nepal have worked together to deliver two Pre-Hospital Trauma Care Courses with Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (deemed university) (SRIHER). This is the first step in a programme aimed at helping to support the wider development of pre-hospital care. The second step is to run a train-the-trainers course at SRIHER in October 2023 with the aim of developing local faculty. The ambitious, long-term vision of this pilot programme is to enable low- and middle- income countries to build their clinical capacity and enhance the delivery of pre-hospital care.

This initiative started with a proposal from Dr Peter Patel to the Board of FPHC for support to develop an international course for Pre-hospital Care which would be linked to role of pre-hospital care in disasters with mass casualties and conflicts and appropriate for developing countries who do not have resources of western developed countries.

FPHC Board agreed to support this programme and two consultations were carried out at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Educations and Research (SRIHER), Chennai and Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kochi on course contents, current paramedic training in the country, needs and feasibility of developing and delivery of an international course with expert doctors (Emergency Medicine consultants, Professors and senior paramedic trainers). This was followed by an assessment visit to SRIHER, Chennai by Dr David Bruce (Chair of Training and Standards Cttee and International Development Lead, FPHC, RCS Ed) and Dr Rob Russell (Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Defence Medicine, Member of FPHC) in February 2019.

Assessment visit to SRIHER, Chennai in February 2019.

The assessment found SRIHER facilities for training ‘fit for purpose’ and agreed to pilot the first course on Pre-hospital Trauma Care from Chennai. Progress was halted by Covid19 lockdown.

October 2022 – Face to Face Programme Restart

In October 2022, work on this programme started by holding a ‘Joint Workshop on Developing Pre-Hospital Care in India – A Potential Model for Developing Countries’ at SRIHER.

Joint Workshop on Developing Pre-Hospital Care in India – A Potential Model for Developing Countries

Friday October 7, 2022

Place: Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER), Chennai, India

The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC) of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s mission is to promote high standards of pre-hospital care through education, research and teaching. As part of this commitment, we were delighted to co-host a workshop aimed at identifying areas for developing prehospital care in India and the region and establishing closer working links in order to improve patient care.

On 8th October the delegates also reviewed our joint publication of Aide Memoire – Emergency Services Drills which is an updated guide for those involved in pre-hospital emergencies.

This workshop accompanied the RCSEd International Conference held in Chennai from 6 – 9 October 2022.

At this event we also announced an International Course for Pre-hospital Trauma Care which in the first instance has been developed with Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai and will be the first of its kind to be delivered in India by trained clinicians.

Speakers

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8 October 2022 – Launch of Emergency Services First Aid Drills Booklet

The publication has been adapted from an original booklet published by Colonel Tim Hodgetts in 2005. The publication has been updated by Dr. Akilan Elangovan and Prof T V Ramakrishnan (Consultants in Emergency Medicine) of Sri Ramachandra Hospital, Dr David Bruce, International Development Lead for Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, RCSEd and reviewed by several senior consultants in the UK. The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh supports endeavours of this publication.

The delegates took part in reviewing and testing of 12 Aide Memoire drills and approved the booklet for training and use by Pre-hospital care providers.

Emergency Services First Aid Drills Booklet

Pre-Hospital Trauma Care Course of FPHC, Royal College of Surgeons, Ed.

The Pre-Hospital Trauma Course (PHTC) is a multi-disciplinary programme and the UK version is endorsed by the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC) in the UK. It is open to those individuals working for any of the emergency services, is a member of the armed forces or is a health care professional and who has contact with the seriously injured during the pre-hospital phase of care. The course is a 2 to 3-day intensive programme aimed at providing candidates with the skills and knowledge to recognise the seriously injured patient and to provide appropriate interventions to manage the patient in the pre-hospital environment, within their scope of professional practice.

By the end of the course, candidates should be able to:

Demonstrate a systematic approach to the identification and management of immediately life-threatening conditions in the seriously injured individual during the pre-hospital phase of care.
Identify hazards associated with, and methods to control hazards associated with the pre-hospital trauma scene.
Describe the assessment and management of the airway, breathing, ventilation and circulation in the seriously injured individual.
Outline approaches to the management of the pre-hospital incident involving trauma.

The UK version of the PHTC has been edited to take account of capabilities in India.

19 – 23 April 2023 – The first International Pre-Hospital Trauma Care Course in India

Following on from the joint Faculty of Pre-hospital Care (FPHC)/Faculty of Disaster Medicine -India and Nepal (FDMIN) Workshop held in Chennai in October 2023, two inaugural Pre-Hospital Trauma Care (PHTC) Provider Courses were delivered at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai on 19 – 20 April and 22 – 23 April 2023. Funding was provided by the UK-registered charity Saving Lives. FDMIN aims to improve training in all phases of disaster response and sees pre-hospital care (PHC) as having a key role in the initial responses as well as contributing to reducing the wider, ongoing accident-related health burden in South Asia.