The team is designing a model for training surgeons and medical officers with no formal training in pediatric surgery to teach them to perform a safe colostomy on a newborn. The tool is designed to teach gentle tissue handling skills. Research shows that over half of surgical complications in newborns are caused by excessive use of force during the procedure.
These skills can be transferred to other life-saving surgeries. By training surgeons in these gentle procedures, it can bring quality surgical care to the estimated one billion infants and children globally who currently lack safe, timely and affordable interventions.
The team will use their award to validate that there is a low cost model to assist in training and self-assessment.