2019 Training Recap

Training the Arusha Regional traffic police

KOPI traveled to Arusha in November of 2019. We were able to put 60% of the Arusha Regional Traffic Police (APD) through a basic course on prehospital emergency medicine. The class was a success and the project made local and national news. We were able to measure the impact of our curriculum through a voluntary pre and post survey. They survey results indicated there is a greater likelihood that officers would respond to a road traffic injury (RTI) after taking our course.

Mental health for our providers continues to be important. We were able to deliver a module on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during our Phase One trip. The officer’s were receptive to the education. They also shared some of the scenes they have been on throughout their carrier. It was clear from those interactions that officer’s have experienced significant psychological distress as a result of their willingness to help victims of RTI. It was also clear that PTSD could potentially be a barrier to care. KOPI is developing a qualitative study to examine the true impact of psychological distress of prehospital providers.

We are already looking forward to 2021. KOPI plans to return in August to continue educating APD as well as the nursing staff at Arusha Lutheran Medical Center. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to help in the coming months.

Mental Health Education for ALMC NUrsing Staff

PraireCare partnered with KOPI in 2019. The two organizations collaborated with stakeholders in Arusha to develop a mental health curriculum for nurses at ALMC. The course was delivered over three days and attended by a large portion of floor personnel in the hospital. ALMC currently staffs one psychologist at its location and its the responsibility of nurses and doctors to manage psychotropic drug administration. The training provided to nurses was aimed at giving them the skills necessary to identify and refer patients with mental health conditions to their staff psychologist.

Within a day of the training a nurse was able to utilize one of the screening tools to flag a patient struggling with depression. That patient was then scheduled with the psychologist for an assessment. It was an excellent example of how receptive ALMC staff are to education and new process. It also demonstrated how adept they are at clinical decision making.

KOPI is looking to push this work forward in January of 2021 with their Phase Two project and hopefully incorporate education on psychotropic drug administration. Keep your eyes out for more information in the coming months.

Looking Toward the Future

KOPI is exploring ways to expand it’s efforts next year. One of the biggest changes to this project will the the incorporation of field preceptorship for first responders. We are in search of paramedics who would be willing to travel with us in August 2022 to provide education and possibly respond to calls in the field. If you have any interest in being a part of the team, reach out to us using the link below.