Nurses within a surgical team play such a fundamental role in the success of a surgery that they require specific training for the purpose. However, in Rwanda, there has been a severe scarcity of ...perioperative nurses. This article describes the collaborative effort for perioperative nursing training by the University of Rwanda (UR) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) with the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program and a consortium of American Universities. The goal of the HRH program has been to build up the capacities of health professionals both in academia and clinical settings so as to address the shortage of qualified staff. In that regard, the UR in 2015 started a Masters program in nursing in eight specialties, of which one was perioperative nursing. The aim of this paper is to highlight the training process, success, and challenges of perioperative nursing training in Rwanda.
The training has so far been successful, with the 19 nurses who completed the program working now in academic and clinical teaching institutions. Students in the program have also increased their number of research publications in peer-reviewed journals and international conference presentations. The UR and its partners are investing in the sustainability and excellence of this program. Using the import-of-experts approach to train Rwandans within their country, the program addresses the scarcity of specialists in various disciplines within the nursing profession. As a consequence, countries where the lack of specialized nurses poses challenges may adopt this partnership strategy.
Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(1):185-196
BackgroundSurgery cancellation is a challenging and costly event resulting in operating theatre inefficiency and psychological and financial problems for the patients and their families. This study ...aimed to find out the incidence and reasons for surgical cancellation at a Rwandan hospital.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 736 patients’ files obtained from theatre registry lists of surgical operations done from January to March 2017. The American Association of Perioperative Nurses (AORN) checklist for documenting cancelled surgical cases was used to establish the rate and reasons for cancellation. Data were analyzed using frequency and percentage descriptive statistics.ResultsOut of the 736 surgeries booked, 179 (24.3%) were cancelled as follows: Orthopedic and general surgeries (28.2%) respectively, gynecology and obstetrics (27.4%), urology surgeries (15.5%), maxillofacial surgeries (15.9%), ENT (15.6%) and plastic surgeries (13.3%). Time constrain/long list (19.6%), acute change in medical status (10.6%), non-turn-up of the patient (8.4%), and abnormal lab findings (7.8%) were the most prevalent reasons.ConclusionThe surgical cancellation rate at the study hospital was 24%, increasing with the number of patients booked and the type of surgical procedure. A prospective study is required to gain more insight into the reason for cancellations, mostly amenable to mitigation measures.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(3):379-386
BackgroundTo continue delivering the courses despite school closure during the covid-19 pandemic, the University of Rwanda abruptly shifted its teaching from traditional physical to online teaching. ...This was the compulsory medium of teaching during the lockdown period. This sudden change did not allow for adequate preparation for students. ObjectivesTo assess the preparation of learners to use the e-learning platform, and to explore the factors that enabled or inhibited learners’ use of the e-learning platform. MethodThis was a cross-sectional quantitative research design study done between June and July 2020. An online questionnaire was sent to all students registered in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences for the academic year 2019-2020. ResultsA total of 446 students completed the questionnaire. Students reported not being adequately oriented and unprepared to effectively use e-learning. Students were motivated to use e-learning when the learning objectives were clear, interactive, with engaging materials. Inadequate e-learning infrastructure, limited access to internet connectivity and inadequate devices were identified as the strongest barriers of using e-learning. ConclusionThe covid-19 pandemic has brought a transformational opportunity to embrace a blended learning approach. To sustain such a transformation, proper and timely planning and strategies need to be invested.
Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(1):99-112
BackgroundTowards the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide and caused many schools to close. Many educational institutions transitioned from traditional face-to-face or blended ...to a total e-learning approach. The University of Rwanda rapidly shifted from a blended teaching and learning approach to a total e-learning approach. Thus,this study assessed the faculty preparedness and the factors influencing the use of e-learningplatforms at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.MethodsThe study used a cross-sectional design. A web self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 450 CMHS faculty from June to July 2020, with a response rate of 34.4% (n=155). SPSS was used to describe nominal variables with frequencies and percentages. Similarly, continuous variables were analyzed by calculating median and interquartile ranges. The Chi-Square and Man-Whitney tests were also computed using SPSS.ResultsThe majority of participants (93.7%) started using the e-learning approach, and 92.4% attended e-learning training. The top motivator for e-learning use was a personal interest in technology use (93.3%) and the leading barrier to using e-learning was the concern about access to students (77.1%).ConclusionThis study found that faculty preparedness was significantly associated with e-learning use. The leading motivator and barriers were a personal interest in technology use and concern about access to students, respectively.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(2):189-202
BackgroundAdverse drug reactions result in thousands of deaths, disabilities, and other serious outcomes. Nurses and midwives administer drugs, monitor both therapeutic and adverse drug reactions, ...and are on the front line of safety reporting. This study aimed to assess awareness of nurses and midwives about pharmacovigilance and their practice in monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali .MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study on 147 randomly selected nurses and midwives. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. We analyzed data using SPSS version 22 computer software for descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsConcerning the awareness of nurses and midwives, 88% had heard about pharmacovigilance, and 22.3% were aware of Rwanda Food and Drug Authority. Nearly two-thirds (62.3%) reported inadequate practice in monitoring adverse drug reactions. Their practice was associated with having heard about pharmacovigilance (p=0.004) and knowing the hospital’s adverse drug reactions reporting system (p=0.005). Concerning practice in reporting adverse drug reactions, 66.2% had observed adverse drug reactions, and 18.2% filled out adverse event notification forms.ConclusionFew nurses and midwives were aware of the pharmacovigilance system in Rwanda, and many of them reported inadequate practices toward monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions .Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(2):233-245
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