Endoscopy nurses need formalize specialized training – Mr Kpodo

By Hafsa Obeng, GNA

Accra, July 20, GNA – Mr Joel M. Kpodo,
Chairman of the Society for Nurses in Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Surgery-
Ghana (SNEMIS), has called for the formalisation of the specialised training
for nurses in the fields of gastroenterology, endoscopy (Nurse Endoscopists),
and minimally invasive surgery.

He said a formal training for nurses would
enable them acquire the requisite knowledge, skills, academic and professional
qualifications matching international standards.

Mr Kpodo made the call at a three-day third
national endoscopy and minimally invasive surgical nursing workshop, ECG
reading and basic life support training for nurses and endoscopy staff, held on
Friday, in Accra.

The training workshop, on the theme,
“Demystifying endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery for safety and
efficiency,” entails both didactics and hands-on sessions, which would cover
vital areas of the practice, including the roles and responsibilities of the
endoscopy nurse, advances in endoscope reprocessing protocols, patient’s
pathway in endoscopy, client’s safety in endoscopy, ECG reading and
interpretation, and basic life support.

He said endoscopy nursing roles had advanced
over the last few years, and today endoscopy nurses were upgrading their skills
and qualifications to become nurse endoscopists, bowel scopists, and capsule
endoscopy interpreters, lead nurses in therapeutic endoscopy, nurse consultants
and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) specialist nurses.

He noted that the diversity of practice in
endoscopy challenges and requires the endoscopy nurse today to acquire the
needed academic and professional qualifications, and to continually seek
continuing professional developments.

“At the moment, the very few of us advocating
for this, have had to go for various degrees of training in foreign countries,
from our own pockets, and sometimes supports from some foreign agencies.”

Mr Kpodo said some factors that were affecting
the development of endoscopy included, lack of interest and training, lack of
exposure, high cost of equipment, cost of procedure, infection control,
complications sedation safe handling of equipment among others.

“Lack of government support, insufficient cash
flow, lack of equipment in many government hospitals, endoscopy not covered by
the national health insurance scheme, little investment in the training of
specialists’, high import tariff on equipment and machines, are some of the
challenges facing the endoscopy in Ghana.”

He said the ramifications of the roles of the
endoscopy nurse were considerable, yet their contribution was often undervalued
by colleagues and some managers of some health institutions, saying, it was
unsafe and virtually impossible to effectively run any endoscopy service
without a well-trained and efficient endoscopy nurse.

“We need to accept that, lots of wrong things
have been done over the years to the point that it has become a norm, but all
must come on board to tackle the issue with a conscious and deliberate effort
to right the wrong.”

Mr Kpodo appealed to the government to work
out immediate plans for regulations and accreditation for the numerous
endoscopy centres mushrooming as well as the healthcare professionals
performing the various procedures.

Dr Kweku Asante Krobea, President, Ghana
Registered Nurses and Midwifes Association, said an endoscopy is the procedure
that allows qualified health practitioners to view the inside of a person’s
body.

He said the universal health coverage and the
global goals would not be achieved unless nurses and midwives who make up to 75
percent of the health sector professional workforce globally are supported and
empowered to become advanced practitioners.

He said Ghana has had its fair share of the
challenges imposed on its heath agenda by the growing global burden of diseases
necessitating innovations aimed at the creation of opportunities for health
professionals to grow their knowledge.

Dr Asante Krobea said everyday thousands’ of
children and adults die needlessly because they do not receive basic
life-saving interventions that are often locally available but are simply not
provided due to indecision, delays, misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment.

He explained that it is more important to
define the field of endoscopy and get it more grinded into the health care
practice, urging the nurses in their quest to reverse the trend not to be
relentless in their efforts and not to disappoint the good people of Ghana.

SNEMIS – Ghana is a society of nurses in
endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery, which was put together to unite as a
body engaged in any capacity in the fields of endoscopy or minimally invasive
surgical nursing.

It is aimed at advocating for safe and
effective practice, advancing the science and practice of endoscopy and
minimally invasive surgical nursing through education, training and
re-training, research, advocacy, and collaboration.

It is also to promote the professional
development of its members in an atmosphere of mutual support, and continually
collect information, establish guidelines for future professionals and expand
specialized educational opportunities.

GNA

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