Healthcare workers trained on essential critical care of pediatric population

The World Health Organization (WHO), Country Office for Nepal, supported the training of trainers on Pediatric Essential Critical Care Training (PECCT) which includes management of COVID-19 among children. Fifty-four healthcare professionals were capacitated to conduct similar trainings in all provinces. The training, held at Kanti Hospital, was organized by National Health Training Centre (NHTC), in coordination with Nepal Pediatric Society (NEPAS), Pediatric Nurses Association of Nepal (PNAN), and technical support from WHO.

The training, held after a request by the Ministry of Health and Population to train as many healthcare workers for pediatric management as early as possible, was held from September 2 – 21 in three batches.

Photo Caption: Demonstration of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) during the Pediatric Essential Critical Care Training at Kanti Hospital; Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/M. Karmacharya

The trainings consisted of progressive sessions starting from stabilization of pediatric cases to care and monitoring of children in pediatric intensive care units. It included skill development stations as well as clinical case scenarios. Some of the important skills in pediatric essential critical care included in the training are cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for children; oxygen therapy provision and use of mechanical ventilators; recognition, transfer, and stabilization of sick child; and care for children suffering from cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and poisoning. Strategies on how to facilitate and conduct similar skills training sessions to other healthcare workers were also provided to these future trainers.

Photo Caption: Demonstration of proper donning and doffing of Personal Protective Equipment during the Pediatric Essential Critical Care Training at Kanti Hospital; Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/M. Karmacharya

Furthermore, in a different training, virtual sessions were also organized with experts from NHTC, NEPAS, and PNAN, which updated 1,926 healthcare workers on the latest global treatment protocols for proper management of COVID-19 patients, especially children. The trainings enabled health care workers including medical/nursing students to ensure treatment uniformity across all layers of the health system. WHO experts developed the curriculum of the training, incorporating Open WHO courses, and provided financial support. 

Following the initial training of trainers, one batch of in-person service provider training in PECCT will be conducted in each province, starting in Province 1 and Bagmati Province from the first week of October 2021. These trainings are made possible through the funding support of USAID.