UC emergency medicine experts to help teach physicians in El Salvador
Doctors expand global health program’s reach with ultrasound training at Rosales National Hospital
The University of Cincinnati Medical Center’s Emergency Department is a state-of-the-art facility fitted with the latest technology and specialty equipment. But Whitney Bryant, MD, and Daniel Artiga, MD, are leaving their well-equipped surroundings to travel to El Salvador — to help train physicians at a hospital they’ve never visited before.
Both Bryant and Artiga are fluent in Spanish. For Artiga, the trip holds personal significance because he has Latin American roots.
UC has a global reputation as the birthplace of emergency medicine, being home to the first and oldest emergency medicine residency program in the world, established in 1970.
“UC and its Department of Emergency Medicine are proud to be leaders in our field,” said Bryant, an associate professor in the department at the College of Medicine. As leaders, UC’s emergency medicine program focuses heavily on medical education and ultrasound training.
“We are taking that focus to San Salvador at the end of April,” said Bryant. “We’re using the strengths of UC emergency medicine to help further develop the specialty globally.”
A developing country with a developing specialty
Daniel Artiga, MD, third-year emergency medicine resident. Photo/provided.
Emergency medicine is still developing in El Salvador. For example, Rosales National Hospital in San Salvador has a fledgling emergency medicine residency program with 14 residents — but the country does not yet have certified emergency medicine physicians, despite the need.
“Emergency care is best provided by emergency physicians,” said Bryant.
Emergency medicine can also improve overall patient care, Artiga explained.
“The emergency department drives forward momentum within a hospital, ensuring timely care for acute needs before moving patients to other services,” said Artiga, who is wrapping up his third year of emergency medicine residency at UC.
One goal of Bryant and Artiga is to train the residents at Rosales, the country’s flagship hospital, in the same tools used at UC. That includes ultrasound techniques to help diagnose patients quickly and efficiently.
Ultrasound training
Whitney Bryant, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine. Photo/Colleen Kelley/University of Cincinnati.
“Ultrasound allows emergency physicians to make decisions at the bedside,” Bryant said. “We use ultrasound every single day in dozens of ways to help our patients. We want to equip our Rosales colleagues with those same skills.”
Ultrasounds are also much less costly for patients than other imaging, and the findings can be interpreted in real time.
Another key advantage of ultrasound is its portability. For this trip, UC’s Department of Emergency Medicine Division of Ultrasound is providing Bryant and Artiga with handheld probes that display images onto a smartphone or tablet to help train the Rosales residents.
The doctors will teach ultrasound use through a combination of lectures and hands-on training. The residents will start by scanning one another, similar to how U.S. medical students begin their training.
Atlas Global Health, a U.S.-based nonprofit that provides training and equipment to under-resourced emergency departments worldwide, will also send representatives to San Salvador for the first time. Atlas is donating an ultrasound machine to Rosales.
Global health initiatives
Bryant leads the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Division of Global Health within the College of Medicine. The division offers a two-year Global Health Fellowship with clinical and educational opportunities in international emergency medicine. The department also has a global health fund to finance travel for residents.
Additionally, UC’s Department of Emergency Medicine has partnerships with hospitals in Uganda, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Guatemala and now El Salvador.
“The quality of emergency care around the world is not consistent,” said Bryant. “So we are working to raise the bar.”
Plans include regular trips to the Central American locations for further training, as well as remote mentorship and education.
Central American medical professionals were guided through training using a mannequin last summer in Guatemala. Photo/Whitney Bryant, MD.
Last summer, Bryant and two colleagues in the Department of Emergency Medicine — Francisco Fernandez, MD, associate professor, and Cindy Chang, MD, assistant professor — went to Guatemala City to teach a medical simulation course entirely in Spanish. Bryant herself created the course, which used mannequins and labs to improve hands-on skills, reduce errors and promote a culture of safety in health care.
Twelve physicians and three paramedics from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador took part.
Family ties
Artiga’s family ties to Central and South America run deep.
“I hope to give back and contribute to Latin America throughout my career as an emergency medicine physician,” said Artiga.
So, while this trip may be his first to El Salvador, it likely won’t be his last.
UC’s emergency medicine residency is four years long. After completing the program, Artiga plans to pursue a one-year ultrasound fellowship to further develop his skills.
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Featured image at top: iStock/naruedom.
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