Home | What We Do | Contact Us | Donate |eLearning login
+353 87 8288941 info@gecs.ie

GECS Research

The results show that by participating on a Global Emergency Care Skills course, healthcare staff had a significant improvement in their knowledge of emergency care and trauma skills. The results demonstrate that a combination of skill stations, group workshops and scenario learning is a method of teaching emergency medicine.

Sepsis and trauma are two of the fastest growing causes of morbidity and mortality in populations with developing healthcare systems. Recognising the deficit in Emergency Care training in Africa, IAEM member Dr Jean O’Sullivan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Incorporating the National Children’s Hospital (AMNCH) in Tallaght established the Global Emergency Care Skills charity.

The training is undertaken through the provision of a skills and simulation based course in trauma care, resuscitation skills and major incident management. The teaching faculty is composed of emergency medicine physicians from Ireland.

Structure

gecslogo

 

 The course curriculum is based on best international evidence but is however tailored to the local epidemiology of injury and illness and also to available local healthcare resources. The course covers the emergency care of both adult and paediatric patients.

  • Continuous on line e-learning combined with practical skills.
  • Evidence based emergency medicine learning tailored to local resources and epidemiology.
  • Skills and simulation learning in a team and when working alone.

Research

research

We sought to establish the effectiveness of the training courses in a rigorous quantitative manner. We measured the participant’s core knowledge and improvement therein by comparing the results of pre-course and post-course multiple choice questionnaire exams.

  • Simulation training with evidence based curriculum that is tailored to local needs and resources.
  • Success in improving participants’ skills set and knowledge.
  • Successful results are replicated in different countries and with different baseline skill levels.
  • Training participants to teach skills to colleagues increases interest and enjoyment of participation in course.

Results

results

  • Our results showed that after completing a GECS course, participants scored significantly higher in a multiple choice question examination evaluating their knowledge of trauma care, resuscitation skills, major incident management and the management of acute medical emergencies.
  • These results show that by participating on a Global Emergency Care Skills course, healthcare staff had a significant improvement in their knowledge of emergency care and trauma skills.
  • The results demonstrate that a combination of skill stations, group workshops and scenario learning is a successful method of teaching emergency medicine.

Publications & News

Ghana: 2014 Field Report Dr Cian McDermott

Ghana: Doctors received training from Irish surgeons just weeks before disaster

Global Emergency Care Skills. Does it work? 
O’Sullivan J, O’Connor G

Testimonials

  • Organisation of this course was good. Lecturing was so fantastic because all the lecturers were very knowledgeable and skillful when conducting demonstrations. Every participant (students) were given equal opportunity when it comes time to contribute.

    Austin Gawani, Malawi 2010

  • Hi GECS – it was a real delight meeting you in Ghana at the ACFEM conference. Looking forward to following up the discussion we had started about you guys coming to Uganda for training in the future. Regards.

    Joseph Kalanzi, Ghana 2012

  • It emphasised the application of primary survey (A,B,C,D,E) in various aspects of trauma like burn, adult, paeds pregnancy etc. It makes us easy to apply the knowledge and skill sin to real practice by referring to the skills we got from lectures and models.

    Dr Frank John, Tanzania 2011

  • The course was very useful and it has put most of our theory in to practical application. Some of the things which I was not doing systematically, the course has printed in to my brain ABCDE.

    Dr Hussein Wajihi, Tanzania 2011

  • First of all I will like to thank you all for accepting to come and give us this useful training in I am sure it will be useful for my career. What I like most is the practical part of it in which we had enough practicals for every session and the best thing is that everybody has a chance of doing it in his/her own with supervision, that was very good. The interactive way of teaching was very good as it keeps us active.

    Delfina Mkenda, Tanzania 2011

  • I liked the course very much since I’m now improved with knowledge atht will make me a better practitioner for the new adult emergency unit which is under construction

    B'bray Sangala, Malawi 2010

  • We are grateful to u for refreshing us n impacting unto us in Ghana, Kumasi, I benefited a lot and am happyyyy!!! Safe journey back home and hope to see u soon in ur Ghanaian traditional clothes! Hope to see u again in Ghana.

    Anastasia Opoku Agyemang, Ghana 2012

  • The training was great, please arrange to visit more university hospitals to run the programme. It was a great opportunity to be one of the particpants. Lives can be saved through simple straightforward rules (ABCDE). You are good trainers. Keep it up!

    Rabiel Happiness, Ghana 2012