- The purpose of Residents / Faculty visit:
You will be representing a group of emergency physicians who have been working with Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy since 2003. The group comes from all over the U.S. and now other parts of the globe as well. Their main interest has been the establishment and development of a coherent Emergency Medicine program including pre-hospital care. This just culminated in working toward the establishment of the first EM residency at Hue College of Medicine beginning sometime 2011 and in well-received EM Symposiums in both 2010 and 2011 that brought together faculty from all over the world presenting EM to Vietnamese physicians. The recent 2011 Symposium focused on Trauma and leaders from all over Vietnam are now committed to emergency medicine becoming a specialty and improving care delivery throughout Vietnam.The educational level of those with whom you are interacting is slightly varied, but in general, the current ER staff is very knowledgeable, but they do not have formal EM training. As an example, ACS is treated with all of the same interventions as in the U.S. or other developed countries. There are cultural and health expectation differences of which you need to be respectful. However, as many of us who have been there in the past can attest, the best way to interact is to say “We would approach this problem like this in the U.S., how do you approach it here?” This is a great way to start a conversation about how we approach presenting complaints in emergency medicine. Also, though they have many advanced technologies (MRI, CT, ultrasound, etc.), the hospital and the patients do not have the resources or access that we have in the U.S. or Australia or Europe.
You also need to remember that EM is still in its infancy and there are no established EM programs that are similar to the U.S or Australia or Europe, so be patient.
- GOALS:
During the rotation the participant will:1. Develop competence in the practice of emergency medicine in a resource scarce environment.2. Aid in the development of public health resources that focus on the prevention of emergency medical conditions.
3. Develop competence in interfacing with patients from a different cultural paradigm and develop an understanding about how culture affects disease presentation.
4. Gain understanding of the differences in patient triage between the US system and the Vietnamese system.
5. Foster increased ties between the Vietnamese and US EM community.
6. Foster research opportunities in a developing EM/EMS system.
7. Increase familiarity with tropical diseases.
8. Experience rare diseases which may present in a later-stage than in the US.
9. Develop familiarity with Vietnam’s EMS system and the challenges they face.
10. Aid in the development and maturation of a Vietnamese EM residency program.
- OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the rotation the participant will be able to do the following:
1. Discuss the limitations and benefits of the practice of EM in a resource scarce environment.
2. Compare and contrast the way EM is reimbursed in the US and in Vietnam and how it affects the delivery of care.
3. Discuss how the Vietnamese medical system handles the dying patient and their family.
4. Discuss and understand the issues related to the development of EM in a country previously without the specialty.
5. Discuss and understand the challenges of developing an EMS system de novo.
6. Discuss and understand the impact of basic public health measures/advertising campaigns in preventing disease and injuries in a developing nation.
7. Discuss the role of public health in the development of an EM and EMS system in Vietnam.