THE Institute of Health Science Education at Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) hosted its third annual Medical Scientific Conference on Sunday, putting more focus on the important role the scientific research community.
Stakeholders attended in significant numbers at the Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara, where the theme was ‘Bringing Research to the Bedside through Evidence Based Practice’.
Coordinator for the occasion, GPH Director of Medical Services, Dr. Madan Rambarran said Guyana is getting closer to the production of its own medical journal.
“We are not ready yet for a regular journal but this conference has its own journal, which is a collection of abstracts of the papers presented for it. At present, we publish in other journals in the Caribbean and so on,” he said.
Rambarran admitted that, presently, developing a regular journal in Guyana, with a small medical community, is not yet feasible but said, with the pace of developments in the sector, such a compilation will become necessary.
Until that time, he said the conferences are a good start and response, this year, is encouraging
During the interactive session, a total of 13 research papers were presented, covering a range of issues.
Dr. Karen Bailey, from McMaster Children’s Hospital in Canada made the feature presentation, titled ‘Technology and the Challenges of Implementing Paediatric Trauma Guidelines in 2010’.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS

The other presentations spawned:
* survey of patient opinions on opt-out HIV testing in the GPH Accident and Emergency Department;
* a retrospective cohort study to assess the incidence of various outcomes arising within a two-year period, for patients with major diabetic lower limb amputations done at the GPH;
* pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis in gynaecology: a prospective randomised trial;
* factors associated with low Apgar scores below 7 at 5 minutes, in term infants born at GPH during 2007 and 2008;
* patient education in nursing;
* an investigation of the outcomes of incomplete abortions at GPH;
* increased findings of paediatric HIV cases through testing in children’s homes;
* client satisfaction survey on HIV positive patients at clinics countrywide;
* the prevalence of paediatric cancers and tumors at GPH from January 2005 to May 2010;
* epidemiological profile of glaucoma: evidence from GPH;
* prevalence of intimate partner violence in the GPH Accident and Emergency Department and
* HIV/AIDS among high school students in Guyana.

CRITICAL COMPONENT

Rambarran observed that, through the conference, members of the medical community are afforded a platform to address a critical component in the overall improvement of health care delivery.
Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, in an invited comment, said, in its third year, the conference has matured with the potential to affect significant operational and policy changes.
“We need to ensure these become continuous studies and lead to operational and policy changes,” he remarked.
Ramsammy said one of the presentations made a convincing argument for the GPH to acquire some equipment while another showed the need for staff to be more aware of the Sexual Offences Act.
He congratulated the GPH on the conference he described as “very good.”