THE Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) has partnered with the JAHJAH Foundation to host a two-day Emergency Ultrasound Training for medical personnel starting today.

The training will be led by Dr Trevor Dixon, founder of the United States-based JAHJAH Foundation. Dr Dixon, who was born in Jamaica, is an emergency physician in the US.

According to Dr Hugh Wong, head of KPH's Accident and Emergency Department, a total of 21 doctors from the KPH, University Hospital of the West Indies, Cornwall Regional, Mandeville Regional, Annotto Bay and St Ann's Bay hospitals will participate in the training.

He said emergency ultrasound offers doctors the ability to see inside the abdomen, chest and pelvis of an injured patient in seconds, especially in trauma cases where timing is critical. It is non-invasive, and can be performed at the bedside in the emergency room on a patient who is too unstable to be transported outside of the accident and emergency department.

He also noted that emergency ultrasound is useful for the placement of intravenous catheters, finding foreign bodies, and diagnosing obstetric and gynaecological complaints.

"It can be life-saving as it allows us to make more timely decisions and interventions, as well as reduce the cost of saving lives. It will also reduce admissions as some complaints which potentially require admission for investigation, can be investigated in the Accident and Emergency Department," Dr Wong explained.

"We are extremely grateful to Dr Dixon for his continued commitment to partner with us to provide this vital training to our health care providers each year. The skills that the doctors will gain will hopefully lead to an increase in the use of the technology and greater patient satisfaction in the services provided by our hospitals," he added.

This is the sixth emergency ultrasound training to be conducted by the JAHJAH Foundation in collaboration with KPH. Dr Dixon has also donated two ultrasound machines to the Emergency Room of the KPH.

"Dr Dixon is committed to improving the emergency department at KPH both in terms of equipment and training and this is quite laudable," Dr Wong noted.