For background information on Dr. Erdin’s team, partnerships, and previous trips, read last year’s blog: https://hvousa.org/blog/building-relationships-and-improving-orthopaedic-healthcare-in-tanzania/
Dr. Robert Erdin has been volunteering with HVO’s orthopaedic project at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi, Tanzania since 2020, leading team trips and organizing online learning activities for staff and residents. Earlier this year, he led his third in-person team on a four-week visit providing hands-on surgical training, lectures, and mentorship. Some of the volunteers had come on previous trips.
Dr. Erdin stressed the importance of repeated interactions and building relationships and trust. “This is the best trip we’ve had,” he said, “It gets easier every year as we get to know people and don’t have to start over from scratch… So many volunteers show up one time and never come back, and for a lot of the residents the first visit is almost ignored. But what we are seeing now is that we’re getting trust from staff and residents. Now they seek us out and ask us questions. Building relationships makes everything so much better…if you can establish a relationship, then long-term change can happen.”
Two residents who accompanied the team, Dr. Anirudh Gowd and Dr. Josef Jolissaint, shared what they felt was some of the impact their team was able to have:
The impact of our training was almost immediate. For example, at the beginning of the trip, the residents were used to making very large incisions and extensive dissections. While this is appropriate in certain situations, this is not always necessary and can sometimes prevent bones from healing. We taught them to minimize their dissection, and they began using smaller incisions. They found that their patients were able to walk and leave the hospital sooner. Another extremely rewarding experience for me personally was through the spine cases as I’m subspecializing in spine surgery. One of their faculty wanted help with a revision case (second spine surgery for the patient), as the dissection can be challenging with scar tissue. We methodologically went through the case together and were pleased when the patient was walking the next day.
-Dr. Anirudh Gowd
The lasting impact I see is the surgeons who continue to use the skills we taught them and who continue to reach out about tough cases or send us post-op x-rays using techniques we taught them. The ability to continue to teach and see those surgeons do better for their patients is incredibly rewarding. Ideally, one day, there won’t be a knowledge, skills, or resource gap between the US and KCMC, but that will take a great deal of time and even inching closer year by year is a win for both the surgeons and the patients who will benefit.
-Dr. Josef Jolissaint
The team interacted with many of the residents and developed a rapport with several, including Dr. Mbise Johnson and Shanoor Saiyed. Dr. Johnson has continued to share cases with the volunteer team members, discussing ankle fractures and sending patients’ x-rays. Dr. Erdin has noticed that over the last two years the x-rays show significant improvement of overall care as well as particular improvement in plate and screw placement during surgery.
Dr. Saiyed has been working with HVO teams since 2021, even before beginning his residency. He believes HVO training has had a positive impact and provided many benefits over the years. He shared his perspective:
Working with some of the best surgeons in the field has provided invaluable tips and tricks for handling difficult cases. The HVO partnership has had a profound, long-term impact on both my department and on me personally. It has fostered an environment of enthusiasm and eagerness to learn among my colleagues. The friendly interchange of knowledge and techniques has enhanced our skills and patient care. Personally, the partnership has broadened my perspective on patient care and inspired me to strive continuously for excellence. One of the most useful skills I have learned is the importance of a patient-centric approach, which includes the ability to think outside the box in patient management. The volunteers have also emphasized the significance of a compassionate and empathetic attitude when interacting with patients, which has made a noticeable difference in patient satisfaction and outcomes. The innovative techniques and valuable knowledge Dr. Erdin’s team shared during this visit have already begun to reshape our approach to patient care. I am confident that these changes will lead to continued improvements in our practices, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and fostering a culture of continuous learning and excellence within our department. In the future, I hope to see an increasing number of young surgeons encouraged to participate in HVO activities, fostering a sense of giving back to society. Continued collaboration and knowledge exchange will undoubtedly elevate our skills and enhance patient care.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the HVO team for their unwavering dedication and support. The positive impact of their visits extends far beyond the technical skills imparted. They have inspired us to approach our work with greater compassion and a renewed sense of purpose.
-Dr. Shanoor Saiyed
Dr. Erdin, along with colleagues Dr. Jason Halverson and Dr. Virginia Casey and others at their institution, maintain online mentorship and training activities throughout the year, in between visits, so that learning and exchange never stops.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities with this project, contact Natalie Cary.
If you would like to provide valuable financial support to this project and others like it, make a donation today at https://hvousa.org/bring-health-to-all/.
