Community Service Agenda (CSA)
By investing in ongoing medical education, GMH is not merely addressing a knowledge gap; it is fundamentally reshaping the healthcare landscape in rural Ghana.
In the expansive regions of northern Ghana, where healthcare resources are scarce, GMH has been at the forefront of driving change. With a mission to address the immense need for more physicians, GMH launched the Community Service Agenda (CSA) in July 2021. This innovative program is designed not just to impart knowledge but to also create a sense of community and mentorship opportunities.
At the heart of CSA lies its weekly educational presentation series. This dynamic initiative brings together healthcare professionals virtually and in-person to delve into high-yield medical topics presented by experts. The success of these sessions is evident in the escalating attendance, from an initial average of 40 participants per presentation in 2021 to over 100 health workers in recent gatherings. Topics span a spectrum of medical conditions relevant to rural Ghana, ranging from malaria and diabetes to strokes.
Weekly presentations from topic experts that highlight evidence-based practices are instrumental to helping physicians in Ghana stay current.
An integral part of the CSA project is GMH’s annual Adult and Pediatric Basic Life Support training course. This hands-on training course equips physicians and nurses in the Upper East and Upper West Region with critical lifesaving skills. What makes this initiative sustainable is the subsequent “training-the-trainers” model, whereby course participants are transformed into proficient trainers who, in turn, disseminate their knowledge to nurses at their respective hospital sites.
GMH’s annual Adult and Pediatric Basic Life Support training is designed to equip healthcare workers with critical lifesaving skills.
GMH is committed to rigorous evaluation through a comprehensive research case study. Regular surveys conducted every six months among presentation attendees provide a nuanced understanding of the impact of CSA’s educational programs. Preliminary results are overwhelmingly positive; more than 98% of respondents found the presentations helpful and relevant, with over 89% actively applying their newfound knowledge to enhance patient care.
For more details, please read the article titled, ‘Impact and Perceptions of Continued Medical Education Opportunities Among Clinicians in Rural Ghana, A Case Study of a Novel Virtual Grand Rounds’, which describes the findings after the first two surveys were conducted.
The Community Service Agenda was met with enthusiasm and immediately embraced by the northern medical community. It was even commended and heralded as ‘exceptional’ by the Ghana Medical Association during their 63rd Annual General Meeting. We have an average of 60 attendees per week, which consist of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, students, and pharmacists.
We have demonstrated the profound impact that investing in healthcare worker education can have. In just over three years, the physician workforce at the Wa Regional Hospital increased from 4 to over 70! The CSA not only attracted new physicians to the region but played a pivotal role in their decision to stay. Of the physicians who completed their House Officer service in Wa in 2023, over three-quarters chose to remain in the Upper West Region—a testament to the CSA’s role in fostering a sense of community and mentorship.
By investing in ongoing medical education, GMH is not merely addressing a knowledge gap but is fundamentally reshaping the healthcare landscape in rural Ghana.
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Phone: +1 (249) 359-6788
Email: info@ghanamedicalhelp.com
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