News – Blog
28 January 2022
The Global Surgical Training Challenge has announced the four finalist teams who will receive up to US$500,000 to support the further development of their open-source surgical training models.
The four teams include members from multiple continents and represent a variety of surgical specialties, including obstetrics, orthopedics, trauma, and reconstructive surgery. Over the last year, they have been working with the Global Surgical Training Challenge partners through workshops and mentoring sessions, to refine their models.
ALL-SAFE, African Laparoscopic Learners – Surgical Advancement For Ectopic pregnancy, is designing a surgical training model to provide surgeons with the necessary skills and confidence to perform laparoscopic treatment of ectopic pregnancy in resource-constrained settings. The team will develop a two-fold approach, leveraging Web-based learning with psychomotor skills training in a simulation model that mimics the pelvic anatomy.
Team AmoSmile is designing a surgical training model to teach surgeons how to restore form, function and feeling through local flap surgery from wounds and defects due to burns, trauma, cancer and congenital conditions. The team plans to implement a unique mixed methods approach to surgical training that will use a simulation platform that will incorporate virtual learning modules and simulations with a low cost, adaptable psychomotor training system.
CrashSavers is designing a model for the prehospital setting to teach bleeding control techniques. Their project involves the development of a Web-based and mobile app that is integrated with a low cost physical model to train users in hemorrhage control. This will teach health care providers methods to stop bleeding before a patient arrives at the hospital.
This training module will teach medical officers and surgeons who are not orthopedic specialists on how to handle this common fracture. The Discovery Award will help the team assess how their 3-D printed bone simulation model can be locally made to provide high fidelity orthopaedic training.
The Global Surgical Training Challenge launched in early 2020, just as the global pandemic was impacting international travel and creating unprecedented pressure on healthcare providers around the world. Against this backdrop, international teams composed of surgical educators, engineers, and global surgery experts gathered virtually to collaborate in solving critical surgical needs in low and middle income countries.
The judging panel, composed of internationally recognized global surgery experts, reviewed the submissions in December. They evaluated the projects and prototypes with support from external assessors and the Global Surgical Training Challenge management team.
Up to 17 million people, particularly in low and middle income countries, die every year from lack of access to surgical care. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery’s report identified the development of a surgical workforce as a key indicator for addressing this critical need.
