More than just the training

But a one-time training is not sufficient for acquiring any new skill set, Rulisa said, highlighting the need for a prolonged approach to capacity building.

Stephen Rulisa, dean of the University of Rwanda Medical School, shares his views on what’s needed to achieve universal health coverage.

Following the in-person training, PURE paired residents with emergency medicine physicians in the United States who could act as remote mentors.

“Not too many people have been trained on point-of-care ultrasound, therefore we have limited human resources to train other residents,” said Dr. Vincent Ndebwanimana, a final year resident doctor at CHUK.

To facilitate this mentorship program, PURE approached Philips in 2018 with the idea of using Philips integrated tele-ultrasound solution, Lumify with Reacts — a platform that allows for real-time remote consultation between mentors and mentees. This allows for communication and the uploading of ultrasound images to the cloud so that both parties can simultaneously view them. If a doctor is performing an ultrasound and needs some support in using the tool or making a diagnosis, they can then open Reacts — a platform that allows for real-time remote consultation between mentors and mentees — on the ultrasound’s tablet and see which mentors are online, while still at the bedside of the patient.

“One of the benefits is that you can scan and then instead of postponing the care of the patient, you have someone to consult directly, and then you can make the decision which guides your treatment,” Ndebwanimana said.

“These types of tools enable not only a one-time training program, but something that can live beyond that one event,” said Philips’ Le.

Final year resident Dr. Vincent Ndebwanimana and Philadelphia-based mentor Dr. Trish Henwood, who co-founded PURE, demonstrate how the Lumify with Reacts platform works.