Teaching emergency and essential surgical care in Sierra Leone: a model for low income countries

Background: Surgeons OverSeas (SOS), a New York-based organization with a mission to save lives in developing countries, conducted a surgical needs assessment in Sierra Leone in 2008 which identified a large gap in surgical knowledge. We hypothesized that knowledge transfer could be improved by conducting workshops with significant local faculty participation.

Design: Description of emergency and essential surgical care workshops (EESC) workshops and follow-up.

Setting: Freetown and Bo, Sierra Leone.

Participants: International and local health providers in Sierra Leone.

Methods: SOS organized EESC workshops in collaboration with significant local surgeons' support. Data on subsequent workshops were recorded.

Results: Fifteen instructors were identified and assisted with teaching. Nine of the instructors were specialists from Sierra Leone. Each workshop lasted 3 days. Feedback was gathered after these workshops Subsequent to the SOS workshops, 8 other workshops were undertaken by local surgeons in Sierra Leone, 5 of which were organized and taught solely by local surgeons working for the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation. Three other workshops were organized with external support.

Conclusions: EESC workshops organized with significant local input are useful for knowledge transfer and empower local surgeons to conduct subsequent workshops on their own.