Highlights
Brad M. Taicher, DO, MBA Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics à CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Through these yearly mission trips to Guatemala City, Duke doctors also train Guatemalan health workers on safe surgical practices and teach them how to overcome challenges in their own environment. And each year, the Duke team hopes to walk away with research they can run with for years to come. This year, the Duke team surveyed all of the families to see if they understood the role of an anesthesiologist. The goal is to identify knowledge gaps that exist so on their next mission, they can provide targeted education to the families of Guatemala City so they can better understand what anesthesiologists do. Through chart review, this team also found that they were limited in how many medications they had with them in Guatemala. They didn’t have enough anti-nausea medications to give to everyone as they do in the United States. So, Duke doctors rationed them out and learned how to maximize non-pharmacologic techniques to minimize post-operative nausea and vomiting. Looking ahead, their goal is to study the factors that typically influence those families to seek surgical care. This team certainly walked away with a new understanding about the Guatemalan healthcare system; they say it’s very capable of providing quality care to patients but the country’s healthcare providers lack the necessary resources to do so. This trip also “gave us a perspective about how fortunate we truly are,” says Dr. Taicher. “We are filled with joy to provide care for these kids. A simple surgery makes a very big impact in the lives of these families.” These mission trips to Guatemala are 8
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An inter-professional team from the Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center (HSPSC) traveled to Kampala, Uganda in March as part of a Global Health Education Program. The initiative, funded by Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator at Duke (SEAD), is focused on delivering postpartum hemorrhage education using screen-based simulation. Using multi-player screen-based simulation will ultimately improve global health by addressing gaps in care and decreasing disparities in healthcare education. Each day, learners along with our teams in Uganda and Durham connected in a shared virtual environment. More than 50
Screen-based simulation education in Kampala, Uganda
learners, including physician and non-physician anesthesia providers, midwives, and nurses were trained during the interprofessional simulations. The preliminary data generated during these training exercises will be used to expand screen-based simulation in developing countries. Key personnel included: Megan Foureman, Jeff Taekman, Yemi Olufolabi, Amy Mauritz, Michael Steele, and contest winner, Emily Comstock. n
Pie-in-the-Face Global Health Fundraiser
Dr. Thompson (Left) and Dr. Mathew (Right) after the pie toss.
Dr. Joseph Mathew graciously accepted a pie in the face as the “winner” of Duke Anesthesiology’s first annual Pie-in-theFace Global Health Fundraiser to support resident travel expenses related to their Global Health Project. The fundraiser, on November 5, 2014,
made possible through partnerships with the Shalom Foundation and Mending Kids International. The three core members of this Duke team, including Dr. Taicher, plan to go back to Guatemala City for their fourth mission trip in November. And, plans for a fifth mission trip in April of 2016 with a team of 18 Duke staff, is already in the works. “My hope is that we can collaborate
gave people within the department the opportunity to donate money towards Dr. Annemarie Thompson, Dr. Mark Stafford-Smith or Dr. Mathew. The person who received the most donations in their name would receive the celebratory pie. Dr. Eddie Sanders from Duke Regional Hospital had the honor of throwing the pie as a result of donating the largest amount of money. Despite Dr. Mathew receiving $1,356 towards him and being the official winner, Dr. Stafford-Smith, with $231, and Dr. Thompson, with $1,191, were not safe from the flying pies. Dr. Adeyemi Olufolabi surprised Dr. Thompson with a pie to the face, and Dr. Stafford-Smith never saw Dr. Mathew coming with surprise pie leftovers. We look forward to this year’s fundraiser! n
with teams from different institutions to better coordinate care for some of the more complicated patients we care for,” says Dr. Taicher. “We are making great strides for global health and I’m excited what the future holds for those families and our team at Duke.” n Sources: The Children’s Heart Foundation, DGHI website
DUKE ANESTHESIOLOGY
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Photo Courtesy of Dr. Quintin J. Quinones
Human Simulation in Uganda
Photo Courtesy of Michael Steele
“We are making great strides for global health and I’m excited what the future holds for those families and our team at Duke.”
GLOBAL HEALTH