Nita Muir, Jill Durrant
Brighton and Lusaka:
Partnership working to support
capacity building of critical care
nursing in Zambia
‘This document is an output from the EPA Project funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) for the
benefit of the UK and African Further and Higher Education Sectors. The views expressed are not necessarily those of BIS, nor
British Council’
Link established in 2005 between Lusaka University
Teaching hospital and Brighton Sussex University
Hospital and with the School of Nursing, University of
Brighton 2007.
All current work mapped to MDG`s and health needs in
country.
Two programs have been successful in supporting
education, training and curriculum development with
funding from British government using a wide team
approach.
1: Critical care Nursing
2. HIV education for nurses
Ministry of Health identify health training as key to
building capacity in country
There has been no support for any post qualifying
training despite this being an aim of the Zambian
nursing council since 1997.
Critical care nursing identified by Zambian nurses
as urgent - University Teaching Hospital is one
of a few hospitals in Zambia with an Intensive
care unit but currently only 1 nurse in ZAMBIA
who has received further education in this arena.
Achievements
1.
Continuing Professional Education for critical care nursing
through Curriculum development
2.
Professional development of nurse educators
3.
Curriculum written by Zambian educators and approved by
Zambian General Nursing Council and MoH, start date to be July
2011
Achievements:
• Zambian partners secured funding from Clinton
foundation to fund infrastructure (building and new
library)
• Upskilling of nurse educators in education
and teaching skills and OSCE
• Upskilling of literacy skills
• Upskilling of nursing in ICU
I feel very privileged to be one of the
first nurses to be given a priority to do
the training and feel we are advancing
education and not stick to the few
specialities we have (RN)
Deaths that occur in ICU due to
inadequate knowledge of the care will be
avoided.
Direct quote from Zambian clinical nurse tutor)
Huge wider successes
– Shared Learning between countries, hospitals
and education arena`s for staff and students
– Developing professional status in Zambia for
Nurses
– Continuing professional development for
participants
– Enhanced working using Evidence based
practice and modern librarian resources
Building capacity in paediatric life support in UTH, Zambia
A survey of undergraduate and postgraduate training needs was
conducted jointly by Zambian and UK Physicians in 2008 which
showed a lack of practical skills in the resuscitation and stabilisation
of the severely ill child care workers who deliver acute care to
children. There is currently no training in paediatric resuscitation in
Zambia
A mortality audit conducted over the same period demonstrated that
62% of paediatric deaths at UTH occurred within the first 48 hours
after admission
• Dr Seddon (Consultant Paediatrician) from the Royal Alexandra
Children’s hospital, Brighton is coordinating a British Council /THET
grant of £89,000 over three years to deliver an APLS course, that is
very effective, low-tech systematic approach to the care of the very
sick child.
• It provides health care workers with the essential knowledge and
skills needed to prevent unnecessary deaths. During the project
which will be adapted to suit local needs will deliver the APLS
course to 120 healthcare workers ( including doctors and nurses)
and train 8 UTH staff as independent instructors to ensure
sustainability beyond the life of the project
• At the same time myself and my colleague Susanne Simmons who
is also a child branch/Neonatal lecturer are planning to visit UTH to
carry out a Needs Assessment Exercise in relation to the feasibility
of developing in partnership with our stake holders, a Child Nursing
Curriculum. We are in the process of submitting a Start- Up Grant
application with THET to fund this and we are also investigating
other funding streams for the main project
• The project will assess the most crucial areas of action – actions
that will have the most significant impact in reducing infant mortality
rate in Zambia which according to WHO 66.6 per 1,000 live births in
2011 and work towards the MDG Four- reducing IMR by two thirds
by 2015
• A mortality audit conducted over the same period demonstrated that
62% of paediatric deaths at UTH occurred within the first 48 hours
after admission
• The APLS course, developed by the Advanced Life Support Group
offers a very effective, low-tech systematic approach to the care of
the very sick child.
• It provides health care workers with the essential knowledge and
skills needed to prevent unnecessary deaths. During the project
which will be adapted to suit local needs will deliver the APLS
course to 120 healthcare workers ( including doctors and nurses)
and train 8 UTH staff as independent instructors to ensure
sustainability beyond the life of the project
•
According to the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness
(IMCI) the high mortality rates are due to; convulsions, inability to
drink, vomiting everything, unconsciousness or lethargy and specific
combinations of signs and symptoms that identify severe illness.
Many of these deaths could be prevented if very sick children are
identified soon after their arrival in the health facility and treatment is
started immediately.