2021 Curriculum learning syllabus: stage 3 special interest areas

Published: 25/02/2021

Anaesthesia in Resource Poor Environments

  • Group 2: 3 to 6 months

Learning outcome

  • Provide safe perioperative anaesthetic care in a resource poor environment

Key capabilities

A

Describes the culture, customs and political influence (if appropriate) to healthcare in the particular resource poor environment

B

Explains the impact of local epidemiology that may influence delivery of anaesthesia and peri-operative care

C

Works with the local hospital governance and management structure

D

Provides perioperative management of patients undergoing a wide range of surgical procedures and acutely sick patients requiring post-operative care within the local environment adapting to the available resources

E

Teaches and trains the multidisciplinary team including anaesthetic clinical officers, doctors, theatre staff and medical students within limited educational resources 

F

Describes the challenges to deliver sustainable healthcare within the particular environment

Examples of evidence

Experience and logbook:
  • logbook demonstrating use of appropriate regional or general techniques, for resource limited environment, of a wide range of patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery
  • logbook evidence of experience managing anaesthesia particularly in obstetric, trauma and paediatric patients
  • experience in delivering multidisciplinary team teaching and clinical anaesthesia in resource poor environment.
Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) can be used to demonstrate:
  • ability to manage patients using draw-over or hybrid anaesthesia machine, ketamine anaesthesia, and resource appropriate regional or local techniques
  • safe pre-operative management of patients presenting with undiagnosed or poorly treated chronic conditions
  • ability to manage the perioperative care of emergency cases including the post-operative level 2 or 3 care with available local resources, including referral
  • inclusive approach to list management, leading a multidisciplinary team of mixed abilities and language
  • understanding of the cultural and political influences on low resource health systems
  • a systematic approach to theories of change and principles of sustainable development.
Personal Activities and Personal Reflections may include:
  • attendance at national and international meetings or courses related to world anaesthesia, including presenting/speaking
  • development of guidelines and policies alongside local counterparts
  • involvement in teaching opportunities for the multidisciplinary team
  • training focused on delivery of education in low resource settings (eg SAFE)
  • development of skills in a foreign language
  • understanding of the impact conscious and unconscious biases on delivery of healthcare and education to low resource settings
  • involvement in organisations promoting safe global anaesthesia (e.g. World Anaesthesia Society, RCoA Global Partnerships, GASOC, MSF)
  • Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • Global Health Medicine certification (PGCert, Dip or MSc)
  • Diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes.
Other evidence:
  • satisfactory MSF.

Suggested supervision level

  • 4 - should be able to manage independently with no supervisor involvement (although should inform consultant supervisor as appropriate to local protocols).

Cross links with other domains and capabilities

  • all generic professional domains of learning
  • Perioperative Medicine and Health Promotion
  • General Anaesthesia
  • Regional Anaesthesia
  • Pain