Touré O1
1ICRC, Health, Gao, Mali
Background: Become an active conflict area with Islamic groups settling down since 2012. This prompted ICRC to set up a hospital project in Gao in order to answer to the needs of the weapon wounded and to provide medical, surgical or obstetric emergency response where most of the other actors have no access. No physiotherapist was working in this area. The only physiotherapy training is in the capital (1200km away) where most of professionals are active.
Purpose: The aim of this overview is to present the activities and the specificities of physiotherapy (PT) within the ICRC supported hospital project in Gao (Mali), a very volatile and isolated context which is far from any physiotherapy support.
Methods: Data presented was collected through the usual monitoring in ICRC supported hospitals including a multidisciplinary team, therefore ethical consent was not necessary. Descriptive statistics was used.
Results: The ICRC hospital team in Gao consists of 18 staff including one resident Malian physiotherapist in charge of post surgical physiotherapy care. He is supported by some short term missions of expatriate physiotherapists. 2139 patients were admitted since 2015, amongst them 678 patients with bullet injuries. Between September 2016 and July 2018, 1050 patients have received physiotherapy. Most of the patients had fractures (54%), soft tissue injuries (22%), amputations (8%), burns (8%), peripheral nerve injuries (5%) and/or central nerve injuries (3%).
Main activities during this period, alongside general hospital tasks, were: early mobilizations, gait training and transfers (n=4309), Plaster of Paris application (n=655), lower limb traction (n=241). 156 patients were referred to the nearby rehabilitation center. Physiotherapy in Northern Mali faces multiple challenges. The lack of professionals prevent patients to have access to physiotherapy services and the isolation of the physiotherapists leads to difficulties maintaining adequate level of service provision. Patients often lack an understanding about physiotherapy and its key role at all stages of the conditions. In addition, patients frequently request to be discharged despite not being ready or even being able to comply to given exercises in order to prevent complications or to regain optimal functioning/quality of life. The engagement and the motivation of the health professionals working in such an austere environment are essential resources as well as the patients' resilience used to multiple sufferings.
Conclusion(s): The ICRC supported hospital project in Gao provides typical ICRC supported physiotherapy services in a situation of emergency and other situation of violence. Gao physiotherapy department is a key reference for providing early rehabilitation. It also allows the partner institution's health staff, including the physiotherapists, to be confronted to international standards and to receive adequate training in order to deliver quality services to the most vulnerable patients.
Implications: ICRC supported projects demonstrate and develop physiotherapy clinical practice in low resource and hospitals located in conflict areas. It is essential to focus on the development of clinical practice and training of physiotherapists in these contexts, especially in the African continent, and to include them in the international network.
Keywords: Physiotherapy, emergency, [05.09.2018 19:53] Bewessim Laouwayi:
Funding acknowledgements: No funding was received for this work. ICRC has supported this contribution.
Purpose: The aim of this overview is to present the activities and the specificities of physiotherapy (PT) within the ICRC supported hospital project in Gao (Mali), a very volatile and isolated context which is far from any physiotherapy support.
Methods: Data presented was collected through the usual monitoring in ICRC supported hospitals including a multidisciplinary team, therefore ethical consent was not necessary. Descriptive statistics was used.
Results: The ICRC hospital team in Gao consists of 18 staff including one resident Malian physiotherapist in charge of post surgical physiotherapy care. He is supported by some short term missions of expatriate physiotherapists. 2139 patients were admitted since 2015, amongst them 678 patients with bullet injuries. Between September 2016 and July 2018, 1050 patients have received physiotherapy. Most of the patients had fractures (54%), soft tissue injuries (22%), amputations (8%), burns (8%), peripheral nerve injuries (5%) and/or central nerve injuries (3%).
Main activities during this period, alongside general hospital tasks, were: early mobilizations, gait training and transfers (n=4309), Plaster of Paris application (n=655), lower limb traction (n=241). 156 patients were referred to the nearby rehabilitation center. Physiotherapy in Northern Mali faces multiple challenges. The lack of professionals prevent patients to have access to physiotherapy services and the isolation of the physiotherapists leads to difficulties maintaining adequate level of service provision. Patients often lack an understanding about physiotherapy and its key role at all stages of the conditions. In addition, patients frequently request to be discharged despite not being ready or even being able to comply to given exercises in order to prevent complications or to regain optimal functioning/quality of life. The engagement and the motivation of the health professionals working in such an austere environment are essential resources as well as the patients' resilience used to multiple sufferings.
Conclusion(s): The ICRC supported hospital project in Gao provides typical ICRC supported physiotherapy services in a situation of emergency and other situation of violence. Gao physiotherapy department is a key reference for providing early rehabilitation. It also allows the partner institution's health staff, including the physiotherapists, to be confronted to international standards and to receive adequate training in order to deliver quality services to the most vulnerable patients.
Implications: ICRC supported projects demonstrate and develop physiotherapy clinical practice in low resource and hospitals located in conflict areas. It is essential to focus on the development of clinical practice and training of physiotherapists in these contexts, especially in the African continent, and to include them in the international network.
Keywords: Physiotherapy, emergency, [05.09.2018 19:53] Bewessim Laouwayi:
Funding acknowledgements: No funding was received for this work. ICRC has supported this contribution.
Topic: Disability & rehabilitation
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: ICRC
Ethics committee: CNESS.
Reason not required: Ethical approval was not required for this study. It is an overview witch present the activities and the specificities of physiotherapy (PT) within the ICRC supported hospital project in GAO (Mali).
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
