Acute Burn Care Fellowships for Kirtipur Team
A team from Kirtipur Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal visited the Interburns Training Centre at Choithram Hospital and Research Centre in Indore, India to see different aspects of acute burn care, under the supervision and guidance of Dr Shobha Chamania and her team. Choithram has a busy burn unit that provides an excellent, contextual learning environment for staff from resource-poor countries. The training centre has provided fellowships ranging from 1 week to 6 months to dozens of surgical, nursing, therapy and nutrition staff (amongst others), from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Sri Lanka, in addition to visiting fellows and students from the UK, Europe and North America.
This was a multi-disciplinary team including Dr Bishal Karki, Dr Ajay Asthana, Binu Shrestha (Nurse), Nhashala Manandhar (Physiotherapist), Mira Shah (Nutritionist), and Padam Shova Maharjan (Burn technician).
Dr Bishal Karki and Dr Ajay Asthana learned about clinical aspects and leadership, Binu Shrestha focussed on nursing care, Nhashala Manandhar worked with physiotherapist and occupational therapist counterparts. Mira Shah concentrated on nutrition management in acute burn patients and Padam Shova Maharjan learned about dressing, preventive aspects of acute burns and skin bank. It was a comprehensive training mixed with enjoyment and fun. The fellowships covered a number of topics:
Acute burn wound care
Surgical aspects of acute burns
Patient counselling
Documentation
Skin bank: Three of the team members went to observe skin harvest from a cadaver. They also demonstrated the skin processing in the skin bank. Kirtipur Hospital is setting up a skin bank for burn patients in Nepal.
Burn prevention: The team visited Ektanagar Aaganbadi and met children and women who were previously given lectures on burn prevention.
Critical care in acute burns
Physiotherapy in burns
Nutrition in burns
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) in burns
PRP preparation and its usage
Visit to the microbiology lab
The microbiologist demonstrated sophisticated machines like BACTEC used for blood culture and sensitivity.
Visit to the hemodialysis unit
Interburns would like to particularly thank Dr Shobha and Shekhar Chamania for their hospitality in hosting the fellows and Dr Shankar Rai of Kirtipur Hospital. Special thanks to all the fellows and the staff of the burn unit at Choithram Hospital for making the fellowships a success.