GSU Mexico Shares Expertise, Wins Hearts at Mexican Childhood Cancer Association
Staff from the GSU Mexico Hub recently visited the Mexican Childhood Cancer Association (AMANC) in Veracruz on 27 March 2024 to deliver a wound care workshop for families battling childhood cancer.
The session, aimed at 15 paediatric patients and their parents plus 5 members of staff, focused on identifying common causes of household wounds. This was especially important as many of the attendees were children with cancer who face wound care challenges daily.
Following the theoretical discussion, the workshop transitioned into a practical demonstration with attendees learning proper wound treatment techniques. The event's highlight was a raffle for five first-aid kits, with the young people actively participating and demonstrating their understanding of wound care practices.
The session concluded with information on the care of chemotherapy catheters to recognise warning signs for seeking immediate medical attention. The rapt attention from both children and parents underscored the importance of such knowledge for navigating the daily realities of childhood cancer. It was touching to see everyone paying attention to these important aspects, aware of the reality that children and parents of children with cancer face.
The success of the event has led to an invitation for the GSU Mexico Hub to return for future sessions to focus on topics like diabetes and hypertension. It is envisioned that these sessions will offer valuable health information to paediatric cancer parents who are selflessly dedicated to their children's well-being, often at the expense of their own health.
Mexico Hub Community Event Educates on Wound Care
In a bid to empower patients, the GSU Mexico Hub held a community engagement event at the DIF Ruiz Cortines Community Centre, Veracruz on wound care and infection prevention on 22nd February. Dr. Carolina, a dedicated research physician, spearheaded the informative session aimed primarily at the elderly demographic within the community.
The event, attended by 70 people, commenced with an insightful inquiry into the common remedies employed by attendees for wound healing at home. Many disclosed the use of potentially harmful substances like laundry detergent, eggs, and even urine. Such practices, though prevalent, were underscored as detrimental to skin health.
Dr Carolina delved into essential aspects of wound management, highlighting crucial warning signs indicative of infection. Through a meticulous step-by-step demonstration, attendees were equipped with practical skills for effective wound care.
As part of the interactive segment, eight wound care kits were raffled off to attendees. The session culminated in a vibrant Q&A segment, fostering an open dialogue on wound management strategies. Participants also expressed a desire for future sessions covering topics such as diabetes management and pressure ulcer care. Such feedback underscores the pressing need to further educate this demographic on preventive healthcare measures.
GSU awarded additional funding for Community Engagement activities
The Global Surgery Unit was recently awarded additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding from the University of Birmingham and UK Research and Innovation to increase already existing community engagement activities across its Indian and Rwandan research Hubs.
The funding for the India Hub will be used to expand training for local ASHA community health workers (CHWs) on surgical wound management, stoma care and early cancer detection. According to the World Health Organisation, CHWs are healthcare providers who live in the community they serve and receive lower levels of formal education and training than professional healthcare workers such as nurses and doctors. They are key players in addressing the health needs of remote and marginalised low-to-middle-income (LMIC) country settings but traditionally have yet to have a role in post-surgical care. The funding will also be used to disseminate the recently co-developed patient education toolkit co-developed. Since last year, the India Hub has been engaging with ASHA workers and registered medical practitioners in different cities such as Ludhiana, Kolkata and Vellore which garnered the attention of the Punjab Civil Surgeon who tasked the Hub to train an additional 2,000 ASHAs.
On the other hand, the Rwanda Hub will be using its additional funding to expand on PIGEON (ImProving surgIcal care outcomes throuGh the active involvEment of cOmmunity in RwaNda)- a mixed method study that will initially scope CHW’s knowledge of surgical care and co-develop with them an intervention focused on improving surgical care outcomes through the active involvement of CHWs in both rural and urban regions of the country.
ODA is UK government aid that promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of LMICs. Funding is provided through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Institutional Support Grant (ODA), funded by Research England, Grant Reference: RE-CL-2023-09.