SOUMAILA TRAORÉ, Doctor in Koutiala, Mali
February 2023
Soumaila Traoré works in an MSF’s medico-nutritional project in Mali, based in Koutiala. He has been working with MSF since 2013 through different health services, such as Intensive Care, Paediatrics, Neonatology and the Nutrition service. He participates in the Antimicrobial Resistance Learning Program of the MSF Academy for Healthcare, which offers courses for infection prevention and control supervisors and antimicrobial stewardship focal points working in MSF hospital projects.
“The point that I found the most interesting was the availability and support of the clinical mentors, which really allowed us to grasp the content of this training.” Although the training
The availability and support of the clinical mentors really allowed us to grasp the content of this training
Soumaila has noticed changes at the hospital level thanks to his participation in the training: “we were able to raise the awareness of most of the colleagues, by making the key advice available to each prescriber to remind ourselves that all febrile states are not infectious states, that not all sicknesses are necessarily treated with antibiotics”. He also saw some decline in antibiotic prescriptions at the hospital. “When we have febrile states, we try to understand the other reasons that can explain the patient’s condition, but if we don’t have any others, then we dwell on the infectious state”.
Soumaila explains that the training has improved discussions between colleagues, about the duration of certain treatments, for example. “With this training, we are able to conceptualise elements concerning certain sepsis, by putting the clinical elements of each patient in context and by correctly interpreting the tests.
We were able to raise awareness among colleagues, by making key advice available to each prescriber, to say that not all febrile states are infectious states and that not all sicknesses are necessarily treated with antibiotics
Participants in the MSF Academy Antimicrobial Resistance Learning Program receive individual tablets to access online courses, participate in webinars, communicate with their mentors and complete their assignments. “The biggest challenge we faced initially with the availability of learning materials was access to internet, access to academic tablets… we were late because didn’t have enough connection speed to do the whole course and do the exercises at the same time. So it was a big difficulty that we ended up overcoming after three months of training. Later, when this problem was solved, things got back on track.”
With this training we get to conceptualise elements concerning certain septic states, by putting the clinical elements of each patient in its context and by correctly interpreting the tests
Antimicrobial resistance is spreading rapidly and affecting morbidity and mortality in MSF projects around the world. The MSF Academy for Healthcare launched the Antimicrobial Resistance Learning Initiative in July 2021.