First pilot of "SAFE Operating Room" completed in Ethiopia

This September, a team of clinicians delivered the first pilot of a newly written short course "SAFE Operating Room". The course was hosted by Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS). It is a unique collaboration between the RCS, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI), the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) and the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), professional bodies that united surgeons, anaesthetists and theatre nurses in designing the programme and also delivering it.

Training was delivered to 32 surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses who, as far as possible, attended in their work teams and were placed in classes of mixed professionals. There were four anaesthetists, three surgeons and two theatre nurses among the teaching team, with RCS Council member and Lead for International, Professor Vivien Leeds as Director of Studies.

This course was the first full pilot of "SAFE Operating Room" and it has led to a number of revisions. A second pilot course is planned for January 2018, after which, the team will pursue external funding to allow courses to be disseminated within Ethiopia and hopefully, in other countries.