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Bridging healthcare gaps for Universal Health Coverage with POCUS
In the pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) on Good Health and Well-being, innovative...
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Point of Care Ultrasound Training Partnership
The Ghana Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training Partnership (GPP) delivers quality-assured Point of Care ultrasound training to doctors in Ghana, welcoming occasional participants from the wider West African Region as well. Central to our mission is a strong train-the-trainer component, designed to build capacity in both POCUS instruction and leadership.
Beyond skill acquisition, our collaborative effort with project partners focuses on enhancing the visibility and understanding of POCUS in Ghana. This includes the development of best practice guidelines for POCUS and integrating POCUS training into the national training curricula, ensuring both the sustainability of the training and the future of POCUS practice.
The course is designed and delivered in collaboration with the University of Salford in the UK and the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, Ghana, bringing together a team of experts from across several specialities. The topics on the course are selected to be of particular value to the care of patients in general practice and remote settings.
Supporting the POCUS community, the partnership fosters ongoing shared learning and research, with projects often initiated by both members of the partnership and our course alumni.
Empowering Medical Professionals through POCUS Training
The 2021 Lancet Commission on Diagnostics Report and the 2023 World Health Assembly Resolution on Diagnostics have identified the critical need for improved diagnostic services as essential to achieving WHO's Universal Health Coverage and Health for All.
This is particularly relevant in Ghana, where the scarcity of radiologists and sonographers impedes access to affordable medical imaging, critically in emergency and rural settings.
The Lancet's recommendation to expand Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) usage aims to address this diagnostic gap. POCUS, performed bedside by non-specialist health workers, was notably underutilized in Ghana prior to our initiative, with a lack of expert trainers, structured teaching, and practice guidelines.
Addressing this, our project aims to enhance POCUS training, research, and leadership to fulfill the urgent need for this life-saving diagnostic tool.
The main project activities are the annual delivery of a Point of Care Ultrasound training course for 12 doctors working in the public health service in Ghana and the training of 3 trainers each year.
Training involves a 7 month part-online, part hands-on training, with online expert mentorship throughout. Participants contribute a 15% fee and receive CPD certification from the University of Salford. All trainers provide their time and expertise pro-bono. One hand-held Ultrasound probe was purchased by WWR, all other training equipment is provided by the University of Ho or by course participants.
In addition to these courses, the programme includes activities to:
1. Raise awareness of POCUS through regular study days
2. Inform the development of POCUS practice guidelines through publications in National journals and stakeholder meetings
3. Create sustainable training initiatives through collaboration with national medical training institutions
4. Support course alumni with POCUS research projects
7 month
part-online, part hands-on training
Expert
mentorship throughout
Point of Care Ultrasound training has a substantial direct impact on healthcare delivery in Ghana. With 12 doctors acquiring POCUS skills for adult care every year, conservatively estimating that each trained doctor will use their newfound skills on at least 5 patients weekly, this training is expected to benefit approx. 110 patients each week. Annually, this translates to at least 2,880 additional patients receiving enhanced assessment and treatment using POCUS.
Course alumni contribute to raising awareness of POCUS and further sharing of this skill through on the job training of their colleagues. We view our alumni as the change makers and inspirers for future roll out nationally and regionally and we believe that this is the most effective method to scale while avoiding strain on local health services.
Impact of the POCUS Training Partnership
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Latest Partnership Updates
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