2022 Training Recap

Our most successful year…

In August of 2022, KOPI returned to Arusha to train the Arusha Regional Traffic police in prehospital emergency medicine and mental health. We were lucky to have a diverse group of fifteen volunteers that represented a range of professions including, paramedics, emergency medicine physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, programmers, psychiatric technicians, and program evaluators. In the course of two weeks we trained roughly 50% of the Arusha traffic police.

KOPI is working on an official program evaluation report and will link it here once it’s complete. Dr. Godfrey Kisigo is the reports author and lead evaluator. Dr. Kisigo has indicated that early findings suggest a significant improvement in knowledge from pre- to post-test and simulation. In addition, focus group discussion indicated that police officers desire an expanded training that incorporates a larger training group and more mental health education. KOPI is already planning on how we can make this happen.

Our mental health series included modules on addiction and prescriber education. This was delivered to community members and providers at Arusha Lutheran Medical Cetnre (ALMC). The curriculum was well received and we were invited to present at an all hospital training. In addition, we formed two new partnerships. Jaffery Academy and IWHF, two organizations in Tanzania have requested that we keep in contact and find new ways to partner. This will lead to an expanded mental health series when we return in early 2024.

Lastly, we demonstrated our open source ePCR application to local stakeholders. The app was well received and we collected recommendations for improvement. Future discussion will revolve around interoperability and integration within current health systems. We will continue to work toward implementation and handoff.

The next phase of our work will focus on local ownership and sustainability. KOPI has developed exciting new partnerships that will lead to locally operated program that hopefully pushes beyond Arusha into the rest of the nation. Stay tuned for future updates and new developments.