ABSTRACT
PRASHANT MAHAJAN, PRERNA BATRA1, BINITA R SHAH2, ABHIJEET SAHA3, SAGAR GALWANKAR4, PRAVEEN AGGRAWAL5, AMEER HASSOUN2, BIPIN BATRA6, SANJEEV BHOI5, OM PRAKASH KALRA7 AND DHEERAJ SHAH1 From Department of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Wayne State School of Medicine, Michigan, 2Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, New York, 4University of Florida, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Departments of 1Pediatrics and 7Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, 3Department of Pediatrics, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, 5Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and 6National Board of Examinations, New Delhi, India. Correspondence to: Dr Prerna Batra, Department of Pediatrics, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi 110 095, India. drprernabatra@yahoo.com W H I T E P A P E R The concept of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) is virtually nonexistent in India. Suboptimally organized prehospital services substantially hinder the evaluation, management, and subsequent transport of the acutely ill and/or injured child to an appropriate facility. Furthermore, the management of the ill child at the hospital level is often provided by overburdened providers who, by virtue of their training, lack experience in the skills required to effectively manage pediatric emergencies. Finally, the care of the traumatized child often requires the involvement of providers trained in different specialities, which further impedes timely access to appropriate care. The recent recognition of Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Emergency Medicine (EM) as an approved discipline of study as per the Indian Medical Council Act provides an unprecedented opportunity to introduce PEM as a formal academic program in India. PEM has to be developed as a 3- year superspeciality course (in PEM) after completion of MD/Diplomate of National Board (DNB) Pediatrics or MD/DNB in EM. The National Board of Examinations (NBE) that accredits and administers postgraduate and postdoctoral programs in India also needs to develop an academic program – DNB in PEM. The goals of such a program would be to impart theoretical knowledge, training in the appropriate skills and procedures, development of communication and counseling techniques, and research. In this paper, the Joint Working Group of the Academic College of Emergency Experts in India (JWG-ACEE-India) gives its recommendations for starting 3-year DM/DNB in PEM, including the curriculum, infrastructure, staffing, and training in India. This is an attempt to provide an uniform framework and a set of guiding principles to start PEM as a structured superspeciality to enhance emergency care for Indian children.
ABSTRACT
A trained and adequate heath workforce forms the crux in designing, implementing and monitoring health programs and delivering quality health services. Education is recognized as a critical instrument for creating such trained health professionals who can effectively address the 21st century health challenges. At present, the Public Health Education in India is offered through medical colleges and also outside the corridors of medical colleges which was not the scenario earlier. Traditionally, Public Health Education has been a domain of medical colleges and was open for medical graduates only. In order to standardize the Postgraduate Medical Education in India, the National Board of Examinations (NBE) was set up as an independent autonomous body of its kind in the country in the fi eld of medical sciences with the prime objective of improving the quality of the medical education. NBE has also played a signifi cant role in enhancing Public Health Education in India through its Diplomat of National Board (DNB) Programs in Social and Preventive Medicine, Health and Hospital Administration, Maternal and Child Health, Family Medicine and Field Epidemiology. It envisions creating a cadre of skilled and motivated public health professionals and also developing a roadmap for postgraduate career pathways. However, there still exists gamut of opportunities for it to engage in expanding the scope of Public Health Education. It can play a key role in accreditation of public health programs and institutions which can transform the present landscape of education of health professionals. It also needs to revisit and re-initiate programs like DNB in Tropical Medicine and Occupational Health which were discontinued. The time is imperative for NBE to seize these opportunities and take necessary actions in strengthening and expanding the scope of Public Health Education in India.