Tanzania
THE S.T.A.B.L.E. PROGRAM
INTERNATIONAL TRIP REPORT
Location where S.T.A.B.L.E. Learner Course was taught
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Report Submitted by
Louise Sabbagh, MSN, RN
S.T.A.B.L.E. Lead Instructor
Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre
Bethesda, MD
COURSE INFORMATION
S.T.A.B.L.E. Class date(s): May 8, 2023 & May 9, 2023
Course Instructor: Louise Sabbagh RN, MSN
Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital
Pediatric and Child Health Department
Dar es Salam, Tanzania
ABOUT THIS MISSION TRIP
This mission trip was a planned and personal contribution to enhance care given to babies requiring Intensive Neonatal Care. I would like to thank the STABLE program for the generous donations of STABLE products. I would also like to express my gratitude to family and friends who supported me in this journey – from stationery products to hospitality, I have been surrounded with kindness for which I am eternally grateful.
The purpose of this trip:
Having lived in Tanzania for many years, I feel the need to return to my place of birth. I wanted to share knowledge that is systematic, and evidence based. Bringing S.T.A.B.L.E to Tanzania, I want to improve outcomes for babies needing specialized treatment. In presenting this program, I believe that I enhance the care that nurses and doctors provide and will positively influence statistics like Retinopathy of Prematurity and negative effects of cold stress.
People are often interested in knowing more about the region you visited. Please describe the community where S.T.A.B.L.E. was taught.
I taught S.T.A.B.L.E in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tanzania is in East Africa and is the thirteenth largest country in Africa. Situated just south of the equator, Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa. Taking a Safari to Ngorongoro Crater or Serengeti National Park is an unforgettable experience especially when you catch sight of elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and rhinos.
I taught S.T.A.B.L.E in a level 1-2 Hospital situated in the center of Dar es Salaam. Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital has 50-60 deliveries per month. I conducted 8-hour full day classes on two separate days. The classes were attended by nurses, physicians, and midwives. A total of 19 staff attended the classes.
The nearest tertiary hospital is Muhimbili hospital, which is not far away, but traffic makes navigating the one-lane roads extremely challenging.
The biggest difference was that the transport of a sick baby was done by the hospital that requested the transport not the tertiary center. The staff of the referring hospital had to prepare and transport the sick baby to the tertiary center.
Describe some of the nursing and medical challenges being faced by the S.T.A.B.L.E. course attendees with regard to provision of day-to-day neonatal care
In speaking with the staff, I learned that staffing was a challenge. Hiring and retaining staff was an ongoing effort. Another challenge was obtaining equipment like blended oxygen. This was available only in certain bed spaces which made oxygen administration somewhat challenging.
How do you envision The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program will help the health care providers you taught?
The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program was well received, and I had many interesting discussions especially about future Quality Improvement projects. The Head of the Nursing Department was very interested in future classes and ways that the Nurse Practice Council could start implementing various projects using principles from the S.T.A.B.L.E course.
How many students attended your course and what were their credentials?
RNs: 12
Midwives: 2
Physicians: 4
If you collected information regarding student’s impressions of the S.T.A.B.L.E. course, please provide that information here:
They found the program very informative with a lot on information. They thought that there was a lot covered in a short amount of time.
The videos were a great review and presented in a easy to understand way.
HOW OTHERS CAN HELP WITH YOUR EFFORTS
I plan to visit again and would really like to provide more educational materials to promote safe care for all babies. I would also like to assist the hospital in obtaining equipment like breast pumps, incubators, and cardiorespiratory/O2 saturation monitors.
MATERIALS DONATED FROM THE S.T.A.B.L.E. PROGRAM FOR YOUR COURSE:
- Blood Gas Nomograms
- S.T.A.B.L.E. Learner Course Slides (USB)
