He is on a mission to help emergency medicine trainees in Sri Lanka gain a structured approach to managing the poisoned/envenomed patient.
Helping him do that is the money he has received by being one of the recipients of last year’s International Development Fund Grant.
The purpose of the Grant is to promote the development of emergency care in the developing world through teaching, training and capacity building through the provision of monetary funding from the ACEM Foundation.
2018 International Development Fund Grant
Expressions of Interest are now open to apply for the 2018 International Development Fund Grant. Please forward completed applications and supporting documentation to [email protected] by Sunday 26 August 2018.
Toxic issues in the ED - Sri Lanka
Dr Downes’s project is titled Toxic issues in the ED - Sri Lanka, with the aim of addressing some of the training needs with regard to the toxicology component of the emergency medicine training curriculum in Sri Lanka.
Emergency medicine became a recognised specialty in Sri Lanka in 2013.
“The aim of the project is to enhance core knowledge in key areas of poisoning relevant to emergency medicine, for example risk assessment, and resuscitation and initial management of the critically ill poisoned patient,” Dr Downes said.
The course will involve interactive workshops and toxicology simulation scenarios.
“This project will bring FACEM toxicologist and local expertise to a fledgling emergency medicine program. This course will plug an important gap within the emergency medicine curriculum and will complement the Emergency Life Care course and other training initiatives. The use of simulation techniques in particular will introduce innovative educational methods,” Dr Downes said.
Special bond with Sri Lanka
Led by FACEM Professor Shane Curran, a very strong link has been forged since 2012 between the Sri Lankan Society for Critical Care and Emergency Medicine (SSCCEM) and a visiting faculty of FACEMs. Currently the Emergency Life Care course is run twice yearly in Sri Lanka by FACEMs and local faculty. It is based around the Emergency life support course which was established in Australia during the 90’s.
Dr Downes said the Grant money would help to strengthen that link. “The money may institute one or two things that might be able to sustain things over the longer term, beyond the course we will be running,” Dr Downes said.
And his advice to colleagues contemplating completing an application for this grant?
“Think carefully about your project, what your aims are and have an idea of how you are going to carry it through and be prepared to spell out the fine details,” Dr Downes said.