In a very short period the clinical environment has changed radically to address the challenges brought with the Covid-19 pandemic. Large numbers of staff are being up-skilled to manage the growing number of ventilated patients, many of whom could potentially be treated outside of an Intensive Care Unit.
The demand for training is unprecedented.
At Dräger, we specialise in technology to help protect and save lives around the world and therefore people are at the heart of what we do. We also recognise that whilst our products play a major role in treating patients, we are one part of a larger picture. Clinicians must acquire a large volume of knowledge across a variety of medical devices and therapies and as such, our approach to education is a clear and concise transference of knowledge.
With restrictions on travel and in order to reduce risk, Dräger have had to investigate and implement dramatically different approaches to the delivery of training. In less than 24 hours, Dräger responded to a number of initial requests for remote online training and have successfully delivered multiple sessions to clinicians in the epicentre of the UK outbreak. This was achieved by learning new platforms, creating training packages with the available resources and most importantly, teamwork.
Speaking about Dräger’s training efforts during the Coronavirus outbreak, Clinical Applications Specialist for Draeger UK, Simon Bensley, comments, “In order to deliver education we have had to react quickly and adapt from our traditional methods, it has been a steep learning curve not only for us, but also our customers. Together we have worked to find a solution and we are certain the knowledge and experience we are gaining during this challenging time will be taken forward and applied in the future.
“An example in a hospital where Dräger have installed over 30 anaesthesia workstations, training was carried out remotely and resulted in well attended training sessions and excellent customer feedback. In a sample of 50 sessions, Dräger recorded over 300 electronic devices in attendance that has the potential to be viewed by multiple people on one device (in seminar rooms for example).”
Whilst Dräger have implemented a structured remote training programme, we must also remain flexible in terms of content, as we are faced with the challenge of training not only on our current product range, but also our legacy products as the number of older ventilators being put back into use increases. In response, Dräger has been disseminating educational content and training tools across the UK to help assist clinical staff. This has been embraced by many and our Basics of Respiration and Ventilation e-learning course has been implemented as foundation training for clinical training programmes.
If you are looking for further information, Dräger has created a page dedicated to educational information for use during the Coronavirus outbreak. On our website you will find a range of educational content, including FAQs, device training, and handling and reprocessing of Dräger medical and safety equipment. Find out more here.
Dräger have also created a quick-guide on the subject of ventilation and product application to give you all the relevant information in one place, download here.
