Background: Although single-trip volunteer medical teams can provide muchneeded acute trauma care following natural disasters, their ability to leave a legacy of improved care in the region is often limited. One way to improve treatment of traumatic injuries is through conference-based teaching, such as the Orthopedic Trauma Symposium (OTS), which took place in Haiti in 2014. However, there is little research evaluating the effectiveness of such teaching tools. We evaluated the OTS and the potential benefits of future iterations of the course.
Methods:A survey consisting of 5-point Likert scale questions as well as qualitative open feedback assessed respondents' opinions regarding the value, content and delivery of the OTS. Respondents were classified dichotomously in terms of their role in the OTS (instructor v. participant) to measure any meaningful difference in feedback.
Results:In total, 84% of all participants agreed that course content was clearly communicated, and 98% agreed that instructors were knowledgeable in the topics covered. Moreover, 87% of all participants responded that they would apply the training in their medical practices going forward.
Conclusion:Haitian physicians, residents and medical students responded favourably to the OTS. Open-ended questions offered concise, attainable improvements for future iterations of the course. Organizations committed to improving medical care in low-and middle-income countries should take note of these findings while continuing to develop the OTS and similar initiatives globally.
Contexte :Les équipes médicales bénévoles qui font des interventions ponctuelles sont en mesure de prodiguer des soins essentiels en traumatologie aigüe après des désastres naturels, mais elles laissent souvent un héritage limité pour ce qui est de l'amélioration des soins dans la région touchée. Or, il est possible d'améliorer le traite ment des blessures post-traumatismes par le biais de conférences didactiques, telles que le Symposium de traumatologie-orthopédie (STO) tenu en Haïti en 2014. Peu de recherches ont toutefois mesuré l'efficacité de ce type d'outil didactique. Nous avons voulu faire un bilan du STO et des avantages potentiels qu'il y aurait à répéter l'expérience.Méthodes : Un questionnaire prenant la forme d'une échelle de Likert en 5 points, ainsi que des questions qualitatives ouvertes, ont permis de recueillir l'opinion des répondeurs au sujet de l'utilité, du contenu et du déroulement du STO. Nous avons scindé les répondeurs en 2 groupes en fonction de leur rôle lors du STO (soit instructeurs, soit participants) pour mesurer les différences notables sur le plan des perceptions.
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