Preceptorship is one of Angels’ annual programmes in Vietnam. This activity is aimed at young/new doctors and nurses who have just started treating stroke patients but who do not have much experience in managing the stroke process. By equipping them with both theoretical knowledge and practical know-how, preceptorship helps doctors and nurses become more confident, thereby optimising the stroke emergency procedure in their hospital.
Following the success of three previous programmes in Ho Chi Minh, Mekong and Central Highlands, on 25 June 2023, the Angels Initiative in collaboration with the Vietnam Stroke Association continued the preceptorship programme in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. The theme of the training session was: ‘Improving the capacity to handle stroke’. Participants were young doctors and nurses from hospitals in Hanoi and the Northern region of Vietnam.
The programme consisted of a morning theory session and an afternoon practice session. The chairperson and speakers were all experts on stroke from major centres of the country such as Prof. Nguyen Van Thong, President of Vietnam Stroke Association, A/Prof. Mai Duy Ton, Director of Bach Mai Stroke Centre at Bach Mai Hospital and a two-times nominee for the Spirit of Excellence Awards, and PhD. Nguyen Van Tuyen, Head of Stroke Department at108 Military Central Hospital.
The theoretical part for doctors covered a stroke overview, imaging and typical clinical cases, while nurses received instruction about post-acute care, including swallowing test, prevention of complications, and early rehabilitation.
The practical session included participation in simulation cases in Body Interact, CT WoW and NIHSS assessment.
So what was new in this year’s program compared to previous years?
Firstly, to achieve the highest efficiency, we divided the doctors and nurses into two halls with separate programmes. This helped them feel free to share, and focused more on their specific issues.
Secondly, most of the participants were doctors and nurses who attended for the first time, coming from very distant hospitals, 200-300 km from Hanoi with a travel time of 6-7 hours by car. Although the traveling is so difficult, doctors and nurses were still very excited and interested in the new knowledge received.
Thirdly, we had a hospital tour to 108 Military Central Hospital, one of the major stroke centers in Vietnam. Through this visit, the doctors learned about the good practices in the stroke process such as teamwork, how to build a model of a neurological institute, how to apply code stroke, all of which they can take back to their own hospitals.
Finally, for nurses, we designed a clinical simulation case and divided the participants into three groups to work together to compete and rank the team. This helped increase the attractiveness as well as helped them retain the knowledge much better.
In order to achieve the goal of more and better, both doctors who have been treating stroke patients and Angels want more patients being treated within the time window. The survey of participants in all four regions has shown that regular trainings like these are essential and helpful for HCPs.
As our guide to action we will try our best to support the stroke network in Vietnam with a MORE and BETTER strategy, so together we can give life a second chance.
