ICNA Educational Meeting Ghana 2018

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Pediatric Conference 2018

Conference Theme:

Updates in Pediatric Acute Care

Location:

Golden Bean Hotel, Kumasi, Ghana, West Africa.

Date:

May 8 -10, 2018

Hosting Society:

Department of Child Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana

Local organizers:

Dr. Charles Hammond (Pediatric Neurology)
Dr. Adwoa Boakye Yiadom (Neonatology)
Dr. Elsie Lotenna Kalu (Pediatrics)
Dr. Angela Osei-Bonsu (Pediatrics)
Dr. Eugene Martey (Pediatrics)
Prof. Emmanuel Addo-Yobo (Head of Department)

ICNA meeting organizer:

Jorge Vidaurre M.D.

Type of meeting:

Annual conference organized by the Department of Child Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.

Participants:

Total: 213 participants (registered), 20 unregistered                                                                    

Type of audience:

Pediatric neurologist        -        1

Pediatricians                   -        23

Pediatric residents           -        84

Emergency physicians     -        7

Family physicians            -        6

General practitioners       -        45

OBGYN                            -        2

Other residents               -        6

Pediatric nurses               -        16

General nurses                -        9

Physician assistants         -        14

Participants came from all ten regions of Ghana.

Panel of invited speakers and speaker affiliations:

1. Dave F. Clarke, M.D.
   Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
   Director of Clinical Epilepsy, Texas Children’s Hospital

2. Debabrata Ghosh, M.D.
Pediatric Movement Disorder Specialist
Former Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurology, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

3.Sam Dzodzomenyo, M.D.
Sleep Disorder Specialist
Director, Pediatric Sleep and Neuro LLC, Columbus, Ohio

Topics covered (Lectures)

1. Dave F. Clarke, M.D.
   Neonatal seizuresStatus epilepticus
2. Debabrata Ghosh, M.D.
   Movement disorders in children
   Management of spasticity in resource-limited settings
3. Sam Dzodzomenyo, M.D.
   Headache in children

Topics covered (seminars with all speakers)

Epileptic spasms (with videos and EEGs)

Case discussion (patient with tuberous sclerosis complex who had epileptic spasms)

Seizure mimics in children (with videos)

Movement disorders (with videos)

Case discussion (patient with dystonia and spasticity)

The meeting consisted mainly of didactic lectures and small group seminars. The lectures were delivered in a practical format with use of videos in order to facilitate training.

The lectures included topics in acute care of children with a bias towards neurology. All neurology lectures were delivered by the international speakers from the CNS/ICNA. Other speakers from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital delivered lectures on Intensive Care, Neonatology, Hematology, Oncology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and cardiology.

The seminars were dubbed “market place” where participants could trade knowledge. There were two neurology seminar sessions each day alongside seminars in other disciplines. Participants rotated through the seminars such that each participant attended all seminars by the close of the conference. The neurology seminars were mainly case presentations with videos and a live patient (day 1). Cases were prepared by the local pediatric neurologist and the pediatric residents who also lead the discussions. ICNA-CNS speakers facilitated the seminars.   

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital provided accommodation facilities at Sunset Hotel, Kumasi and conference facilities.

Outcomes

1. The objectives of the conference were met. Audience was extremely knowledgeable and participative.
2. Talks were presented in a practical format. Multiple videos were showed for teaching purposes.
3. The audience gave very positive feedback and suggested topics for future conferences.

Future Plans

1. The Local Organizing Committee has suggested organizing workshops focused in specific neurologic disorders and to provide training in topics such as EEG, neuroimaging, etc.