PediSTARS India (Pediatric Simulation Training and Research Society for India) and Simulation Section of Society for Emergency Medicine in India jointly organised the country’s first simulation training workshop in partnership with Berkeley HealthEDU to train teams in caring for such children.

The focus of the workshop was to provide training in the essential assessment and time critical treatments in a risk-free environment. Emergency doctors from across the country learnt the time critical skills on life-like ‘manikins’ which can breathe and talk.

The workshop was conducted at Berkeley HealthEDU’s Simulation Centre in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi last week and had experts from across the city’s hospitals as faculty to conduct the training. The workshop was fully supported by the specialised team of trainers from Berkeley HealthEDU.

Accidents and unintentional injuries continue to be the biggest killers of children worldwide. Children seem to die more often due to road traffic accidents, falls, burns, drowning and injuries. There is still a lot to be done to keep children safe at home and in the streets.

India has an added challenge of lack of robust ambulance services for handling such emergencies. We still rely on any available transport to the nearest healthcare facility. Getting to the right facility with 24 hour trauma care availability becomes absolutely paramount to prevent deaths during the golden hour. Children are unique in their size and the way they handle the same degree of injuries compared to the adults. Children look well and collapse rapidly. Hence having the right skills and team and transferring to the right facility is vital.

Dr. Sujatha Thyagarajan, founder member of PediSTARS India said “Managing paediatric trauma is a challenge and yet very rewarding when done well in time. We need a great co-ordination of various specialists to work in a timely fashion and start treatment simultaneously for a critically injured child. We absolutely need to get it right. We need specific training for pediatric trauma care and this workshop aims to provide that training”.

Dr. Asit Misra, Chair of Simulation Section of Society for Emergency Medicine in India also said “Trauma care is a team effort and each member of the trauma team must be trained in it. Simulation based workshops help in the training of the EMS teams to safely transport the victims as well in continuing good quality of trauma care in the emergency department by the emergency physicians and emergency nurses.”

Soumya Kanti Purkayastha, chief executive, Berkeley HealthEDU said “ We are proud to partner with PediSTARS in this pioneering initiative, and we look forward to taking this initiative across the country so our children have access to the best possible trauma treatment and care in critical times.”

PediSTARS India, which is Pediatric Society for Training and Research in Simulation formally affiliated to International Pediatric Simulation Society, Society of Simulation in Healthcare, USA, Due to its collaboration with international organisations, PediSTARS India has played a key role in taking simulation based training and education which has been largely unmet in paediatrics in India over the last 2 years.