Practical Skills Workshop Empowers Medical Practitioners

A Practical Skills Workshop on Peritoneal Dialysis was hosted at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital at its Surgical Skills Training Centre on 12 March 2015 (World Kidney Day).

Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) is a treatment option for patient with chronic kidney disease. The process uses the inside lining of the patient’s own belly as a membrane across which fluids and dissolved substances are exchanged from the blood, thus removing waste products from your blood when your kidneys can no longer do the job adequately. 

The practical session was offered to empower delegates, mostly from Africa, with practical skills to apply in acute situations, allowing them to be at the forefront of current surgical practices. 

The unique practical session incorporated resuscitation of children, vascular access by ultrasound and principles of dialysis, including hands-on emergency techniques in doing acute dialysis at the bedside and in emergency situations in various parts of Africa. 

These skills cannot always be safely acquired in a live surgery setting on patients and gave delegates the opportunity to refine their surgical skills, while the facilitators were given the opportunity to transfer their knowledge and skills. 

Advantages of Peritoneal Dialysis:

• Provides continuous therapy, which is more like your natural kidneys
• Don’t have to travel to dialysis unit for treatment
• Cost-effective and life-saving

The practical session also served as a pre-congress workshop leading up to the World Congress of Nephrology, which was held for the first time in Africa, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 13 to 17 March 2015.