Nurses receive training in endoscopy procedure

The Eastern Regional Hospital in collaboration with the Society for Nurses in Endoscopy and Minimal Invasive Surgery (SNEMIS), has organised a training in the application of endoscopy, for some nurses in the country, in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.

Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract. Using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it, a doctor can view pictures of a patient’s digestive tract on a colour TV monitor.

The training was to enable the nurses to acquire knowledge in gastrointestinal endoscopy so that they would be able to accurately diagnose diseases like stomach ulcer and cancer, peptic ulcer, abdominal pains, bleeding and vomiting blood, blood in stool using the endoscopy machine. 
The training would also help participants to understand their roles as endoscopy nurses, and acquire the necessary skills to effectively assess patients and provide quality service.

The founder and chairman of SNEMIS-Ghana, Mr Joel Kpodo, revealed that 90 per cent of endoscopy units in hospitals in the country did not have the basic tools to assess their patients before taking them through the endoscopic procedure, nor have nurses who understand their roles.

He said “we have realised that there are many facilities trying to provide endoscopy service, but their nurses do not really understand their roles nor have the basic assessment tools to establish whether a patient is safe, ready or fit enough for the procedure.” 
Mr Kpodo said “we have identified a very serious knowledge gap. We have, therefore, developed a tool that can be used to assess patients before, during and after the endoscopy procedure.”

He stated that the nurses would go through a one-month intensive training to acquire the necessary skills.

Mr Kpodo  said the equipment used in endoscopy procedures were expensive and delicate, and could not be handled by ordinary people, hence the need to properly train nurses so that they could provide internationally accepted services for safe surgery.
The Medical Director of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Dr Kwame Anim Boamah, expressed his appreciation to the SNEMIS-Ghana for organising the training.

He said that previously the hospital did not have equipment to conduct endoscopy, and patients, who needed such services, were referred to centres in Accra.
Dr Anim said “however, with our internally generated funds, we have been able to purchase the equipment. We have provided services to 300 patients and we have realised our nurses needed in-depth training and mentoring to effectively conduct procedures to ensure they give best care to patients.”

He said “since SNEMIS-Ghana now provides the services here, we would be able to accurately diagnose diseases and give the right medications, and this training for our nurses would help us provide better services.”