Improving Emergency Care in Bihar, India

The BEPREPARED program is a partnership with the Children in Crisis Program (CiC), CARE-India, and the Ministry of Health of Bihar State to assess, design,  implement and evaluate multimodal emergency care systems strengthening interventions at 5 District Hospitals in Bihar State, India with a catchment area of 15 million people.

In the wake of the COVID-19 Delta wave, a 6-month pilot program was developed and implemented with the explicit goals of strengthening safe, effective, and evidence-based emergency care. Interventions included department renovations to improve care delivery and gender safety, investing in human resources by adjusting staffing and adding key personnel, procurement of critical supply and equipment needs essential to the provision of emergency care, and improving clinical care through an educational intervention to train physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff in emergency care. CiC led the development and implementation of a 6-month educational program that focuses on foundational emergency care knowledge and skills. Program activities and impact included the following:

·       Over 170 physicians and nurses received training and education, in addition to numerous students, security, and housekeeping staff.

- Educational modalities included shoulder-to-shoulder bedside teaching, lectures, skill workshops,simulation, role play, and case studies.

- Training and education was provided by both CARE India nurse and physician mentors (who received training in adult learning theory)l supported by CiC affiliated international physician and nurse technical experts on site.

·       CARE India and Harvard Teaching Hospital affiliated physicians and nurses spent a combined total of 12,240 hours actively engaged in educational activities in the emergency department.

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