THE Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE) yesterday held its Seventh Annual Medical Scientific Conference, the objective of which is to promote research by doctors at the post-graduate level, and give them an opportunity to present their research findings to the Ministry of Health and IHSE, so as to guide and influence strategic planning.

The programme, held at the International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, attracted more than 300 local medical practitioners and overseas partners supporting the GPHC’s Residency Education Post Graduate programmes.
According to Director of the Institute of Health Sciences, Dr. Madan Rambarran, the conference is used as a mechanism through which the institution promotes research, while affording the opportunity for doctors to present their research and communicate it to the administration and those responsible for guiding changes in tactics.
VISITING PARTNERS
Some of the visiting partners supporting the Residency Education Programme are from universities in Canada and the United States, among other countries. These include teams from Canada, having to do with the local Pediatric Post-Graduate Programme; a team from Toronto, including Dr. Narsingh and others; Dr. Debra Isaacs and others from the University of Calgary, having to do with the Eco-Cardiography programme; another from the US Case Western University, Ohio, comprising Dr. Margaret Larkens and others, involved with the training for the Obstetrics and Gynecology Programme; and others from the University of Vanderbilt in Emergency Medicine and the University of Guyana.

What is critical about this conference, Dr. Rambaran said, is that the research is all around local issues. “It’s not a research where somebody comes from another country and presents to us. It’s our own research by our local doctors, mostly in collaboration with our partners. Those partners have been engaged with the post-graduate residency education programames and the other nursing education programmes. They collaborate and do these researches.”
The expected outcome of the conference is that it would be able to encourage and equip the doctors to present research, thereby empowering them to have influence in future practice or drive additional research. “This will be one of the big things and we have already seen that things presented last year have been taken a step further, in terms of looking at them closer,” Dr. Rambaran proudly announced.
The research, he said, will be shared through the IHSE’s supplement, with the administration of the Ministry of Health, Georgetown Public Hospital. “The result is that what’s coming out of this research, can guide and influence their strategic planning,” Dr. Rambaran said.
The Annual Scientific Conference is the main event for the IHSE, which is the body that implements the institution’s advanced training in health care–not only for doctors, but also nurses and other health professionals.
Commenting on the conference, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud said: “In effect, the organisers, the IHSE is a key partner of the Ministry of Health, so we collaborate with them, since the products of the programmes are all public health workers and contribute greatly to quality care in Guyana.”
CME CREDITS
He added that the conference is accredited and each doctor will get four credits for participating in the day’s activity. Dr. Persaud outlined that the Laws of Guyana require that each practitioner adds to his/her name annually, 12 Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits in the current year, so that they could register in the following year.
“The credits they get up to the end of 2014, for example, could be used next year, so they can get their licences in 2015. Doctors are required to have those credits completed before the end of December. Licensing takes place during January, hence they (the doctors) should present themselves by January 31 for the annual licenses that will allow them to practice in the upcoming year,” the CMO explained.
RESEARCH PAPERS
At the conference some of the topics dealt with by the post-graduate students, as well as interns, addressed some of the challenges currently facing the nation, such as diarrheal diseases and a range of other infections, all very critical to Guyana.

Research papers presented included: ‘Management of Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) in pediatric patients in GPHC, Guyana,’ done by Dr. Bibi Alladin-Karan, GPHC; ‘A Review of Electrophoresis Testing at the GPHC Medical Laboratory (June 20113 to June 2014), by Dr. Pheona Mohamed Rambaran, GPHC; and ‘To Assess the Knowledge, Attitudes and Screening Practices of men in relation to prevention and early detection of prostate cancer’, by Ms. Theona Green, GPHC.
LECTURES
Feature lectures included: ‘Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns in the Pediatric Emergency Department at GPHC. Implications for Rational Prescribing Policy in Guyana by Ms. Suparna Sharma, University of Toronto’; Infection in the Burn Care Unit, GPHC by Dr. Shilindra Rajkumar, GPHC; ‘Epidemiological Profile of Prostate Cancer in Guyana from 2010 – 2013 by Dr. Chris Prashad, GPHC; and Neonatal Jaundice at the GPHC’ by Dr. Winsome Scott, GPHC.
Meanwhile, feature presentations from overseas partners included: ‘Sudden Cardiac Death/Sudden Cardiac Arrest’ by Dr. Mahendra Carpen, MBBS, DM, FACP, Medical Director, Consultant Cardiologist, Caribbean Heart Institute; ‘Optimising Asthma Management at GPHC; Development of an Interdisciplinary Spirometery and Asthma Education Programme,’ by Dr. Robert Levy, University of British Colombia; and ‘Teaching Professionalism to Medical Students using Reflective Narrative and Facilitated Small Group Discussion’ by Dr. Brian Cameron, Mc Master University.
AWARDS PRESENTED
At the conclusion of the conference, two awards were presented: One for the ‘Best Researcher and the other for the ‘Best Research Presentation. The Best Research Presentation Award is the ‘Chetram Singh’s Award’, while the other is the ‘Institute of Health Sciences Education Award for the Best Researcher’, which Dr. Rambaran said was an added incentive for those who will want to present and do research.

(By Shirley Thomas)
CAPTION: Cullen Bess-Nelson photos saved in Graphics as ‘Scientific Conference’
Please merge ‘DSC 0003 and 0016’
Medical practitioners at the ISCE’s 7th Annual Scientific Conference at the Convention Centre yesterday
DSC 0015: Please crop out top of this photo. Director of Institute of Health Sciences Education, Dr. Madan Rambaran, at left, with other doctors at the conference, at centre is Dr. Alexandra Harry and at right is Dr. Rabindra Nauth Rambaran
DSC 0094: A doctor delivers his research findings at the conference